Review 5

LOL this is a funny - well not funny but interesting letter I sent of something else I am working on for the period ahead....... Makes me sound like I'm crazy lol

Dear Sir/Madam,

I feel that I have a very important issue I want to put down in e-mail.

I have been a Samaritan at York Branch for over 3 years.

I am concerned as to an issue which could occur in 2011 or later and cause a large number of suicides in the United Kingdom.

This year (2010), two very large football clubs (Portsmouth and Sheffield Wendnesday) came extremely close to going out of business and were saved at the very last minute. This is something that has not occured before (certainly not within my memory) and therefore would be an unprecedented event of which consequences have not previously been researched.

It is thought likely, due to the current financial risk management in football that the same situation may occur at other clubs in the coming years.

I believe also that if a football club of this magnitude did in fact cease to exist, there would be a very high likelihood of suicides (possibly mass suicides) (predominantly amongst males - adult and teenager)

I have zero evidence to back this up. Like I say, it is not something which has occured before and University of Oxford's Centre for Suicide Research have not touched on the issue, and possibly not even considered the notion of it (as it is an entirely recent risk)

My belief that this possible occurence would lead to many suicides is based on a few factors.
* A football club of this size has hundreds of thousands of fans.
* Thousands of people follow their club all around the country to every game home and away.
* For many people, football / following their team is their life.. in some cases, the team is virtually the only thing which matters to them. In many ways, it is similar to people losing their livelihood. For very many people, it holds the same importance and position in their life. Cut short, following their team through thick and thin is everything.
* Football can be something dependable for many people who feel they have nothing else in their lives to rely and have faith in. For some, their team can dominate most of their thoughts, dreams and time.
* Typical cases where it is evident (although by far a minority percentage) would be the guy with club tattoos over his body, or the 15-year-old boy with few friends for whom almost every waking moment is filled with thoughts and hopes of his football club (a common case).

I am writing to see if this issue can get serious consideration. Not just at a re-active level (ie when it happens) , but before-hand (i.e. what can be done to limit the effects of it happening, or work at preventing the event happening)

It is all too easy to dismiss thoughts before an event happens with the idea that because such an incident has not happened in the past, why should it occur in the future? .. or the idea that we will be safe as an organisation to not consider and be proactive on such issues and wait and see what happens.

I cannot emphasise enough how important I think it is for Samaritans to give this some serious consideration. It is my belief, after much thought and consideration of my own, that such an incident could be the biggest single direct suicide cause in the United Kingdom in a generation.

I have also spoken to the PA to Professor Horton at University of Oxford's Centre for Suicide Research, who recommended I take this route with my enquiry.

Regards,

Paul Walton
York Samaritans