News

TYF goes into Europe

A new European initiative is set to strengthen support for the mental health of professional and elite athletes across the continent. Tackle Your Feelings Europe (TYFE) is a collaborative project co-funded by the European Union aims to put athlete wellbeing at the heart of sport.

TYFE builds on the success of the Tackle Your Feelings campaign established in 2016 by Rugby Players Ireland. Expanding this proactive approach to a broader European sporting community, the TYFE project will work to reduce stigma and strengthen the systems that support athletes.

See the new website here.

From performance expectations and media scrutiny, to non-selection and injuries, athletes face unique pressures. However, mental health support in sport has often fallen behind physical performance resources. TYFE aims to change that by encouraging open conversations, improving access to mental health resources, and equipping athlete organisations with the knowledge and tools needed to support wellbeing effectively.

“From performance expectations to public scrutiny, athletes face unique pressures that can have a significant impact on their mental health,” said Paulina Tomczyk, General Secretary of the European Athletes and Players Association, who will lead the project.

“Through TYFE, we’re uniting athletes, their representative bodies, and researchers across European borders to ensure their mental wellbeing is no longer overlooked. Our goal is to make mental health a natural part of every athlete’s training, so they receive the same level of support for their minds as they do for their bodies, and can truly thrive both on and off the field.”

The project aligns with the European Union’s sport priority of encouraging healthy lifestyles for all and the horizontal priority of digital transformation. Through research, education, and innovative digital tools, TYFE will work to improve mental health literacy, resilience, and support capacity across European sport.

The project brings together nine athlete associations representing more than 11,000 professional and elite athletes across multiple sporting disciplines.

Project Coordinator: European Athletes & Players Assocation (EAPA)

Asociación de Mujeres de Balonmano (AMBM)

Asociación de Jugadores de Fútbol Sala (AJFS)

Associazione Italiana Pallavolisti (AIP)

Basketball Players Union (BPU)

Gaelic Players Association (GPA)

Giocatori Italiani Basket Associati (GIBA)

Rugby Players Ireland (RPI)

Sindikat Športnikov Slovenije (SŠS)

Suomen Urheilijat (SU)

Associated Partner: FIFPRO

Each organisation will contribute to comprehensive research being conducted by Dr Emma Burrows, in partnership with Professor Vincent Gouttebarge, Chief Medical Officer at FIFPRO.

Burrows insists that “robust research is essential if we are serious about protecting athlete wellbeing. Through TYFE, we are building a strong evidence base that will help sports organisations understand the real challenges athletes face and respond with meaningful, practical support.”

The project’s overarching objective is to develop and implement strategies that protect and promote the mental health and wellbeing of professional and elite athletes. TYFE will contribute to new research on athlete mental health, improve the knowledge and skills of athlete associations, enhance the quality and availability of support services, and raise public awareness about mental health in sport.

A dedicated TYFE website has also launched. It will provided research insights, educational materials, and practical mental health resources for athletes and sports organisations across Europe over the course of the project.