Jigsaw has been officially appointed as Charity Partner of the Football Association of Ireland after FAI staff chose Ireland’s leading youth mental health charity as their preferred choice to work with for the next two years.

The innovative partnership will see the FAI and Jigsaw work together under a new ‘Standing Together For Youth Mental Health’ banner for the next two years initially and was launched today at FAI Headquarters in Abbotstown.

As part of this collaboration the FAI and Jigsaw will produce a series of mental health support programmes aimed specifically at staff, young players and coaches across all FAI affiliates.

Football Association of Ireland Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Hill said: “We are delighted to announce Jigsaw as our new charity partner and I am particularly delighted that this decision was made by our staff across the country. They are aware of the brilliant work that Jigsaw does for our young people and we all see Jigsaw as a perfect fit for the FAI.

“We have seen from their involvement with our football clubs and leagues, at all levels of the game, just how positive an impact Jigsaw can have on the mental health of all involved in football and we are really excited now at working with Jigsaw to make a real difference at a time when mental health is such an issue in Irish society as we continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

FAI Staff committee member Andrew Holt remarked: “As a staff, we are delighted to partner with Jigsaw on behalf of the FAI. This partnership can deliver so much for boys, girls, young players and staff with all our clubs, leagues and affiliates and we look forward to working alongside everyone at Jigsaw in the coming weeks, months and years.”

Mike Mansfield, Director of Communications and Fundraising at Jigsaw said “Jigsaw are hugely excited to partner with the FAI. Without the commitment of community partners like the FAI we simply cannot continue to deliver the vital mental health supports and services our young people deserve. By standing together, we aim to help us all better value and better support our young people’s mental health.”

As Ireland’s leading youth mental charity, Jigsaw is committed to achieving better mental health outcomes for young people by providing a range of early intervention primary care services and supports and developing supportive communities across the Republic of Ireland.

With the support of a range of public and private funders, Jigsaw delivers a range of free primary care mental health services and supports for young people and adults including:

• delivering free, one-to-one, primary care therapeutic sessions with young people (aged 12-25)

• offering a range of community-based programmes aimed at better informing, supporting, educating and empowering young people and those around them, in places where they live, learn, work and play

• undertaking pioneering research and robust evaluation leading to transformative evidence

• providing a wide range of mental health supports, services and programmes through jigsaw.ie

• rolling out comprehensive post-primary school programmes (Jigsaw Schools Hub, One Good School™) aimed at supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people by developing a shared responsibility for mental health across the whole school community.