Former England footballer Trevor Steven has told Construction News about his desire to effect a culture change in the construction industry.
The midfielder, who played alongside Gary Lineker in the iconic 1986 World Cup in Mexico, has spent the past seven years dedicated to mental health in the building industry.
As chief executive of charity Mindflow, he this month launched a more formal approach to a charter introduced last October as a counter-attack against high suicide rates and psychological unease in the sector.
The first seven companies had registered and self-assessed against the 10 core principles in the document by 12 October 2026.
Balfour Beatty and Graham led the way with three-star ratings while Sisk and VolkerStevin Infrastructure were among those with two stars.
More than 50 companies came forward a year ago to back the newly launched charter but Steven is now calling on as many firms as possible to register and assess.
“It’s all right talking about it and saying things, but the likelihood is things will not be seen through,” he told CN.
“We decided to make a registration platform with the charter in the same format as last time, with the 10 principles – the same as in a football team, bar the goalkeeper.”
The Mindflow website shows the principles lined up in a progressive 4-3-3 formation more common in the current Premier League era than in Steven’s 1980s heyday. Measurable Performance leads the line in the Number 9 jersey while Fairness and Awareness form a partnership in the centre of the field.
The idea is that by following the step-by-step guide to improving in each area, the contractor can build a winning team that does all it can to minimise bad mental health on and off sites.
“This is an opportunity for the industry, particularly in the times that we live in and what needs to be done to look after the modern workforces,” said Steven.
He hopes to see an increasing level of registration and eventually this adherence to the charter to be mandated by clients and main contractors.
“I’m asking the tier ones to disseminate this down their supply chains and encourage their subcontractors to get on board,” said Steven.
“The other thing I do is speak to councils and mayors, and [ask] that they recommend in procurement that anyone tendering is on a mental health journey.
“Eventually it will become obligatory to evidence that. But that’s in the future; the industry is not mature enough around mental health to be scored on this.
“We would like it to become the common standard for mental health in construction.”
Steven was inspired into his current challenge when he got a call from the founder of construction software giant Causeway Technologies, Phil Brown, who helped fund a film about his title-winning side called Everton: Howard’s Way.
“We put our heads together and said let’s join the dots between football, construction and mental health,” Steven said.
Mindflow offers short onsite sessions called match-ups, which are led by former professional footballers with lived experience of pressure, silence and resilience.