Prince William starts mental-health campaign for soccer fans

LONDON (AP) — Prince William has launched a campaign to get more soccer fans, particularly male, talking about mental health.

The “Heads Up” initiative is a partnership between the English Football Association and Heads Together, the campaign spearheaded by William’s Royal Foundation.

Speaking at Wembley Stadium, William says men find it difficult to talk about their mental fitness because “emotions, feelings, are kind of like a bit alien over here.”

William, who is president of the FA, called the silence around men’s mental health a “crisis” and encouraged soccer fans to ask about their friends as they would if they had “broke an arm or an ankle.”

William and his wife, Kate, have lobbied for better treatment of mental-health issues.