HAWTHORN and Collingwood will battle for the beyondblue Cup at the MCG on Friday night as they raise the public's awareness of the issues around depression.
beyondblue chairman, and former Hawthorn president, Jeff Kennett said that aligning with an AFL match would give his organization an opportunity to reach out to the community but particularly to young men.
He said that "one person in five" would suffer from some sort of depressive illness over the course of a year, while in the AFL he estimates the figure is higher.
"Invariably these people get put into cocoons at an early age," he told the AFL Record.
"There are long hours and hard work, but a lot of them don’t make the elite level and have trouble dealing with that. Those that do make it have a lot of anxiety about whether they will be selected or maintain their position in the team.
"The amount of stress, anxiety and depression among major athletes is very, very high and particularly in the AFL. A lot of young men are still very loath to talk publicly about their anxiety and stress while playing because they're fearful that others will see it as a sign of weakness and will prevent them from being selected."
Kennett's interest in depression stems back to his time as Victorian Premier and he maintains that his involvement in Beyond Blue remains the most satisfying chapter of public service.
beyondblue's reach into the sporting community gained impetus in 2004 when then Hawthorn and later North Melbourne spearhead Nathan Thompson went public to discuss his battle with depression.
"Nathan Thompson is a leader and a wonderful man. When other athletes listen to him talk about his experience it makes a difference. Being a footballer gives him an easy entrance to get their attention," he said.
Geelong has traditionally been Hawthorn's opponent for the Beyond Blue Cup, but there has been a changing of the guard with Collingwood stepping in to replace the Cats.
"I am indebted to Geelong and its players for the association. It has been very valuable," Kennett said.
"But once in a while it is good to change your partner, to refresh the message. We spoke to Eddie McGuire and he jumped at it with both hands.
"It gives us another opportunity to spread the message through not just the AFL but to a large supporter base that is different to that of Geelong."
