Wigan fans wearing shirts in tribute to former player Terry Newton back in 2010 // PA Images
Stories like that, says Phil, are the real secret to the success of State Of Mind, and the reason why institutions like the Rugby Football League, Super League and Sky Sports have been nothing but supportive, which has led to Super League dedicating an entire round of fixtures in their name. Players will appear on screen wearing State Of Mind T-shirts, the broadcasters will acknowledge and promote the cause to over 350,000 people and the entire game will be a testament to their work, creating a league-wide dialogue that wouldn't exist otherwise."Most of our success has been in making ourselves accessible," Dr Cooper explains, "and maybe there's a lesson to be learnt in how best to speak to people of all backgrounds, being located somewhere that they were going to be anyway, rather than making them come to you. We've found people are far happier speaking to you because you're there with them where they want to be, and that's a really crucial difference I've noticed from how it usually works in the NHS."READ MORE: Overcoming The Empathy Barrier – Mental Health in the Premier League
Stevie Ward in the tackle for Leeds Rhinos (right) // PA Images
"While I was injured, I thought I've got all this time on my hands, so I might as well do something positive with it. People are so scared of being or looking vulnerable that they run away from what they're actually feeling. You'll see pictures on Instagram of people looking happy when they're not, just so that they can keep up appearances. When you go on social media, it doesn't paint a picture of reality. What I've tried to create is quite a gritty publication, that's open and honest – to balance the brilliant stuff with the not-so-brilliant stuff. Hopefully what we're doing allows people to see the parts of people's lives that don't appear online, aren't usually in articles or featured on Sky Sports – we want to offer both sides of the coin. Some people can have the perception that there's folk with perfect lives, but nobody does in reality."Ward was helped through his recovery by the faith he was shown at club level. A quirk of the contract law in rugby league states that clubs can break contract with a player who's been unable to play for over a year, but instead the Rhinos presented Stevie with the Number 13 shirt, the squad number vacated by club legend Kevin Sinfield, which many fans had called on to be retired.
Ward flies in on Warrington Wolves player Ben Harrison // PA Images
Allowing some breathing room between Andy's passing and acting on that impulse, Ambler says it was his mother-in-law's idea to try to appeal to as many people as possible."I wanted to have an Andy Roberts coffee club at first, but left it a little while to leave some space between acting and Andy passing, because we were all going through a really bad time. A couple of months later I was at a wedding, so I asked my mother-in-law for her blessing to set up the group, and she said she'd agree just as long as I didn't use his full name, because she wanted it to feel more open, rather than being just about him, which was incredibly nice of her. Since we landed on a name, everything else has kind of fallen into place."READ MORE: Sinking The Blues – How Snooker Helped Me Cope With Severe Stress
Ambler being tackled by no less than four Huddersfield Giants players, back in his Harlequins days // PA Images
"How I help most is, on a Sunday night or a Monday morning, I'll send a list of questions and ideas to everyone who's involved in leading the groups, while there are also people who champion what we're doing by helping us promote, sharing group details and hanging posters, which we've had interest about from as far away as Germany, Austria and even India – it's getting bigger and bigger, which sort of shows how real and far-reaching this problem is."Speaking to Ambler about what he does, it's clear the passion he has for wanting to help others and reduce the stigma that still surrounds mental health, echoing the sentiments of both State Of Mind and Stevie Ward in his ambition to use rugby league as an access point, but transcend the sport in the long run, and offer help to those who need it no matter how or why they discovered his work."At the minute I don't want this to be a job, it's not about money or anything. I know I want to keep doing it though, so it could become a lifelong commitment I suppose. It's a can of worms we've opened, I'm embracing each day and I enjoy what I'm doing. I didn't want this to be lost just inside the world of rugby, these problems obviously exist outside of the game as well. I have used it to my advantage though, given the masculinity of the sport and what it is seen to represent. This has gone to show that anyone can speak out, no matter your background."The thing to bear in mind is that this is the work of just one corner of society, inside one minority sport, with the only fuel for progression being the desire to help improve or save the lives of those who have found themselves in a vulnerable place, unsure of where to turn for support. This isn't rugby league's problem – it's society's, but the game has made it a priority by using its platform to promote mental health awareness in a way that doesn't require applause, or any form of congratulation, but rather emulation.Rugby league is a game that – when boiled down to the bare bones of the matter – doesn't have anything like the following, funding or influence that other sports do, so this should be seen more as a starting point than an end. If a sport that's so often defined – rightly or wrongly – by its toughness, masculinity and simplicity can grapple with a subject matter as sensitive and complex as the male mental health crisis in this country, there's no excuse for others not to pick up the mantle and not only emulate, but improve on the work of rugby league. Too many people have lost their lives, and too many more remain at risk for this to continue on in the same fashion for any longer. Enough is enough.You can find State Of Mind on their website, or on social media, via their Facebook or Twitter. Likewise, you can get involved with Andy's Man Club here, and read Mantality Magazine here.@BainsXIIIREAD MORE: The New Mental Health Treatments That Might Save Our Athletes