ATHLETE INTERACTIONS
FOR ATHLETES, BY ATHLETES
Athlete Interactions is an independent, athlete-run, not-for-profit organisation that aims to decrease the stigma and increase the action around mental health in sport.
OUR MISSION
Mental health was a hot topic at the Tokyo Olympics. Athlete Interactions is here to make sure that this movement does not fizzle out, but instead snowballs into an avalanche that transforms how we think, talk and act on mental health in elite sport.
At the core of everything we do are the following three mission statements:
Create a community that offers aspiring, elite and retired female athletes a safe space to talk.
Normalise the conversation about mental health in sport by understanding that mental health problems are not another barrier to be pushed through, but a welfare problem, and the athlete should be acknowledged, understood and supported.
Educate coaches on how to support athletes’ mental health to enrich athletes’ experiences in sport, to prepare them to succeed in and out of sport.
WE BELIEVE
Athletes should be viewed as humans first, above being an athlete.
Mental health is as important as physical health, to the person and the performance.
Mental health struggles are not just another barrier to be pushed through.
“No pain, no gain” does not apply to your mental health.
Mental health struggles are not just a “normal” part of the athlete experience. They should be supported.
Every athlete should have a safe space to turn to.
OUR PEOPLE
Athlete Interactions focuses on women and girls in sport because the challenges women and girls face in sport is our specific area of expertise! We were founded by a group of female athletes who met on the Womens Sport Trust’s UNLOCKED programme and are now run by an all-female group of athletes.
Our staff demographic consists of active and retired female athletes of different races & societal classifications, from club level to Olympians (summer and winter) representing a range of sports. We are a diverse group and this helps us to be inclusive because we can reach and relate to the experiences of a wide range of athletes.
We will support any athlete who identifies as a woman or girl from any race, religion, nationality, sport, level, etc.
We are unique in that we are athlete-run, female-focused and independent of any sport governing body or organisations.
More information about us is available here.