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If you or someone you know needs mental health support; visit Beyondblue at www.beyondblue.org.au or contact them on 1300 224 636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.
As a goalkeeper, Katie Neville knows just what it means to be vocal on the pitch and to communicate her feelings with her teammates.
Off the pitch, it’s sometimes not as easy, which is why she and good friend Rita Mankowska have joined forces to launch the inaugural Beyond Blue Bash for Saturday’s twilight game between Galaxy United and Heidelberg United.
For Neville, her story is a cautionary tale, having lost her father Bob Neville to suicide after a battle with mental illness two years ago.
She is hoping that the launching of this initiative will be a way of opening up the conversation of mental illness and hoping to rid some of the wrongly attributed stigma surrounding the word ‘help’.
“I lost my dad to suicide two years ago, that’s something that I’m very passionate about doing and I think it’s the perfect opportunity to do it,” Neville told.
“I think [mental illness] is very under recognised to an extent and I don’t think people realise how common it really is to be honest.
“It affects the people closest to you and there is such a stigma in the word ‘help’, that sometimes people don’t realise that there’s people out there to help.
“People just think that it’s ok to not be ok. It’s the complete opposite. It’s normal to ask for help, we all face different challenges in life, it’s not smooth sailing.
“Beyond Blue don’t get the attention they need and the acknowledgment for the work that they do. You don’t realise how common this is until it affects someone close to you.”
DONATE NOW > Beyond Blue Bash Galaxy United vs. Heidelberg United
The idea has been in the pipework for quite some time, with both Neville and Mankowska working in tandem to draft the first of what they’re hoping will become an annual event between the two sides.
“It’s a cause that’s close to not only me, but one of my best mates [Rita Mankowska] playing at Heidelberg United. So it was pretty much a no brainer to do it [between these two clubs],” Neville said.
“It was always something that we wanted to do and looking at different ways to do it. We clashed heads, Rita and I, and said ‘What can we do, how can we get this going?’
We looked at the mid-season fixture and decided to get it out there that way and raise some awareness.
“Looking forward from here, we’re hoping to make this yearly. Whether next year it flip’s over so that Heidelberg are hosting, I’m not too sure, but it’s definitely something we’re planning to keep as a yearly fixture.”
A Heidelberg hosted event would mean the world to other founding member Mankowska, who opened up about her own story and why this event means so much to her.
“Katie and I have been best friends for over 10 years, we’ve played together as teammates for both Victoria and Heidelberg and even won a premiership together in 2007, so we knew each other pretty well,” Mankowska said.
“But it wasn’t until her dad passed away in 2014 that we actually learnt we had another thing in common. Both of our fathers had suffered with mental illness and decided to take their own lives.
“At the time, I was 13 but I still remember my club Heidelberg United wearing black arm bands in honour of my loss, and I know that a big reason Katie is playing this year is in honour of her dad’s legacy too – so it’s a pretty special cause to both of our hearts and to be able to raise awareness through a sport we both love is pretty special.
“We want everyone to know that no matter if you’re a footballer, parent, official or just supporter, if you’re not feeling okay then it’s okay to reach out and ask for help – you have a whole community of people waiting to give you a shoulder to lean on and help you make it through the dark times.
“That’s the beautiful thing about team sport, you’re never in it alone.”
There will be plenty of going’s on at Banyul Warri Reserve, with events and raffles running all day, as well as a special one-off Galaxy United kit, something the “girls dug together to find a sponsor for”.
“It’s something that Galaxy have been fantastic in supporting, we’ve had a lot of local businesses jump on board donating raffle prizes and stuff like that. There’s a lot of behind the scenes work that the club is doing as well, but it’s all be pretty easy really,” Neville said.
“It’s a gold coin donation on entry and starting from the morning, there will be a raffle running throughout the day. 100% of the donations and proceeds from the raffle will go to Beyond Blue.
“There will also be a few activities on throughout the day, a bit of fun and a few laughs.”
We urge you to get down to Banyul Warri Reserve in Torquay this Saturday at 5pm to support a fantastic cause, donate (click here) where you can and of course have fun.
If you or someone you know needs mental health support; visit Beyond Blue at www.beyondblue.org.au or contact them on 1300 224 636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.