Mental health priority for me as President of ACA, vows Shane Watson

11/12/2019

Shane Watson, as the new President of Australian Cricketers Association(ACA), has declared that mental health will be priority as the body is about something beyond cricket. Now that players no longer see it as taboo, Watson feels it’s important to lend that kind of support for a clearer headspace.

The former Australia International believes it’s the association’s duty to try lower the burden of their cricketers. The case of mental health has been alarming for Australia as within a week Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson decided to take an break from cricket for the same reason.

Watson has played with both of them and also Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott, all cricketers who have faced mental health struggles, knows it’s not just about the condition but what all comes with it.

“There’s no question, this is a huge thing for me and something that the ACA and Cricket Australia need to work together to be able to support the players, as much as we have to, and try and limit the burden,” Watson was quoted as saying by The Australian.

“It’s not just in cricket … it’s wider society: mental health is coming to the fore, as it should. Beforehand it was just shut behind closed doors, whereas now people are actually talking about it which is a great thing and it needs to happen.”

The 38-year-old believes in not only recognizing the problem but supporting the cricketers through it.

“But the support needs to be there, to be able to limit the chances of one of our best players needing to have time away to be able to get back to where he or she needs to from a mental health point of view. When you’re playing non-stop and you don’t have breaks, and especially when you get to a certain age as well and you start thinking about what life is potentially going to look like when you finish playing, those are the times when the support needs to be there, even more so.”

While Watson has been appointed as president and face of the ACA, Greg Dyer stays on as ACA chairman, in a behind-the-scenes leadership role.

“I’ve always been very passionate (about the players’ association) and very much for what is fair,” he added.