Together for Vulnerability: Dutch football breaks the taboo around mental health

With the Together for Vulnerability campaign, the Eredivisie and First Division are joining forces with social partner VriendenLoterij, ESPN, the Cinetree Foundation and the Play Mental Foundation. The campaign is also supported by all 34 professional clubs

During the matchweek from 27 February to 1 March, professional football in the Netherlands will place a strong focus on mental health. Ahead of all nineteen fixtures, Typhoon’s specially written song - accompanied by its music video - will be played in the stadiums. Team captains will carry pennants featuring a dedicated message, pitch-side advertising boards will highlight the campaign, and ESPN will devote extensive coverage to the theme.

Glenn de Randamie (41), better known as Typhoon, wrote the song Kan Niet Alleen (Can’t Do It Alone) especially for the matchweek. Typhoon: “By now, I know better than anyone how important it is to talk about your feelings. Sport and music reach millions of people and tap into emotions we often struggle to put into words. By bringing those two worlds together, we can break taboos and open up the conversation around mental health in a way that feels close to home. And that’s exactly what’s needed. You can’t do it alone.”

Research conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) shows that 39 per cent of men in the Netherlands experience mental health issues. Yet the conversation around it often remains absent. The campaign calls on people to break the taboo and make vulnerability something that can be openly discussed. You are not alone — and when you dare to share what weighs on your heart, you stand stronger.

The message is aimed at the more than 10 million football fans in the Netherlands, as well as the over 1,200 professional players active at the country’s professional clubs.

The campaign ties in with the documentary Boys Don’t Cry, which premieres on Monday 2 March at the iconic Royal Theater Tuschinski in Amsterdam. In the film, seven current and former professional footballers, including Mark Diemers, Ron Vlaar, Ryan Donk and Edson Braafheid, openly share their experiences with mental challenges and show genuine vulnerability.

The documentary is launched by film platform Cinetree in collaboration with the Play Mental Foundation, with support from the VriendenLoterij, BrabantSport Fund, Eredivisie CV and the Cooperation First Division.

Former professional footballer Gianni Zuiverloon, involved through the Play Mental Foundation and featured in the documentary, underlines the importance of raising awareness around this issue: “Within football, there is still this idea that you always have to be strong and must never show doubt. As a result, many men carry their feelings alone for far too long. By opening up this conversation together, we show that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a strength. You need to know that you don’t have to do it alone.”

Jan de Jong, CEO of Eredivisie CV: “As the Dutch Thinker Laureate once said: ‘Life is quite a hassle!’ You may sometimes feel alone, but you are certainly not alone in finding life complicated at times. Professional football wants to embrace the important theme of mental health, make it part of the conversation and give it the attention it deserves. You’re a hero if you speak up. That, too, is the power of football. Dare to talk about it when you’re not feeling yourself. Only together can we tackle this.”

All elements of the campaign come together on the platform SamenVoorKwetsbaarheid.nl. Here, visitors can find more information about mental health, the Social Impact Matchweek and the documentary, which will be available to stream free of charge from Tuesday 3 March at 19:00. The documentary will also be broadcast on ESPN.

The platform also provides more information about the workshops organised at professional and amateur clubs by the Play Mental Foundation. These sessions offer an accessible and practical framework for anyone dealing with mental challenges themselves or looking to support someone around them.