We’re delighted to welcome Roy Heaney as a Head for Change Ambassador!
Roy’s sporting career has spanned professional football, rugby league, coaching, and now advocacy work around brain injury in sport.
Following a diagnosis of probable CTE and early-onset dementia, Roy is helping to raise awareness of concussion and brain injury in sport while advocating for safer futures for players and families.
Thank you, Roy, for choosing to be part of the solution!
If you’d like to get involved in our work, email [email protected]
#BePartOfTheSolution
Alix and Ross hit the trails this week. 🚵
Our Come Ride With Me initiative connects former players for a one-on-one cycle and chat.
Helping you get active, connect, and feel better during those darker days. 🖤
The best bit? We'll provide the e-bike, so it’s open to cyclists at every level.
Email [email protected] to book your ride.
#ComeRideWithMe
Mel chatted to Grace, a year 10 student at Bassaleg Comprehensive School, who has recently completed BrainSafe.
Grace shared her biggest takeaways from the course and how it’s changed her behaviour.
If you’d like to bring our free BrainSafe programme to your school or club, email [email protected] 🧠
#BePartOfTheSolution #BrainHealthInSport
It’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is Action.
Take action for yourself, someone else, or for all of us.
Here are three ways you can take action to support your mental health with Head for Change.
Email [email protected] for free access to the Thrive app, to sign up for an Extra Time to Talk session, or find out more about Come Ride With Me.
Take action, and together, we can be part of the solution.
#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
Are you ready to Run the World Cup? 🏆
Led by Fin Macfie, we’re aiming to run 4,230 km, the distance from Estadio Azteca in Mexico City (where the tournament kicks off) to MetLife Stadium in New York (where the final will be held), during the World Cup period.
You can take part from anywhere in the world. Whether you run 2km or 20km, every step counts towards our shared goal.
Join us from Thursday, 11 June to Sunday, 19 July. Together, we can be part of the solution.
Register your interest via the link in our story.
We are on a mission to promote safe participation in sports in schools and clubs across the UK to help protect the players of the future.
BrainSafe helps young athletes, parents, and coaches understand how to protect the brain while enjoying sport.
Our free online course teaches 10-18-year-olds:
🧠 The basics of the brain
🧠 Why sport is good for your brain
🧠 How to mitigate the risks of brain injury in sport
Want to bring BrainSafe to your school or club? Email [email protected] to get involved.
#BePartOfTheSolution
Alix spoke to German TV station ARD Mittagsmagazin about his early-onset dementia and probable CTE diagnosis caused by his 14-year professional rugby career.
We support former football and rugby players living with sport-related dementia, promote education on brain health in sport, and fund research to make sport safer for future generations.
If you’d like to get involved with our work, email [email protected]
#BePartOfTheSolution
Do you know the familiar signs of a concussion? 💫
If a player is confused or unaware of events, a brain injury may have occurred.
If in doubt, always sit the player out!
Our free BrainSafe programme is teaching 10-18-year-olds:
🧠 How the brain works
🧠 Why sport is good for the brain
🧠 How to protect the brain while playing sport
If you’d like to bring BrainSafe to your school or club, email [email protected].
#BePartOfTheSolution
Our Community Hero, Gareth Rees, shares why he got involved in our BrainSafe programme and the benefits for players, teachers, parents and coaches.
BrainSafe is a free education programme teaching 10-18-year-olds:
🧠 The basics of the brain
🧠 Why sport is good for your brain
🧠 How to mitigate the risks of brain injury in sport
Email [email protected] to bring BrainSafe to your school or club.
Yesterday I underwent neurovascular assessments at @uswresearch led by leading brain health expert Professor Damian Bailey. The assessments were filmed by ARD, Germany’s leading public broadcaster, often regarded as the German equivalent of the BBC.
The research is examining the cerebrovascular and cognitive impacts of repetitive head trauma in middle-aged retired rugby union players.
Repeated head injuries are now a recognised concern in contact sports and are a fundamental part of why Tackle Suicide exists. We love rugby - rugby saves lives and boosts the wellbeing of millions worldwide - but we must also protect the brains of those who play, and those who played, to ensure the sport continues to evolve and flourish for generations to come. #brainhealth #dementiaresearch #rugby @tackle.suicide@headforchange
Our founder, Alix Popham, and the award-winning journalist Sam Peters, joined Dodge Woodall on the Eventful Lives Podcast to discuss rugby’s concussion crisis.
As well as sharing their personal experiences of both playing and investigating the game, it’s an honest conversation about what needs to change to protect the future of rugby and the next generation of players.
🎧 Link to listen to the podcast in Alix's bio.
