14 July 2026

The SANFL has launched a Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy that will be rolled out at SANFL clubs to support the mental health and wellbeing of all players, coaches and officials.  

Guided by SANFL and SANFLW players, industry professionals and the AFL, the strategy has a strong focus on education and increasing clubs’ ability to identify, respond and support those experiencing mental health issues as early as possible. 

A working group featuring a representative from each club has been involved in creating the strategy including Glenelg’s Hugh Stagg, Norwood’s Jack Heard, West Adelaide’s Adrienne Davies, Eagles CEO David Couzner, and South Adelaide’s General Manager of Football Brent Reilly.  

“A big motivator for me being involved in this strategy is to make it easy and create a clear process within clubs for players, coaches and volunteers to get the right support when they need it,” said Stagg, who works for the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation as Community Education Specialist.  

“SANFL players are high-risk for mental illness which is prevalent in young people and especially men so as a 23-year-old male working in this space I see and hear a lot of the challenges that my teammates and players face. 

“I’m very passionate about giving people the skills to better deal with their own personal challenges and how to look after your mates and those around you,” he said.  

The premiership winning Tiger has personally run two mental health first aid courses at Glenelg which has resulted in 30 people at the club being accredited mental health “first aiders”. 

The strategy encourages a minimum of five people at each club to be accredited in this area.   

“In workplaces and football clubs – people are required to have physical first aid qualifications, and personally my goal is to make mental first aid as mandatory, accepted and available as your physical first aiders,” said Stagg who’s licensed to deliver the Mental First Aid Australia program. 

“How often in a workplace do you use physical first aid? And how many mental health challenges do you see in a workplace? Often it sways to the latter so that’s the reason SANFL wanted to bring that in because it is a practical program. It is also a very researched and well renowned program in Australia,” he said.