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Thu, Mar

FA Cup: 3rd Round Fixtures To Be Delayed By 1 min To Promote Mental Health

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The FA Cup third-round ties will all kick off with a one-minute delay as part of the Football Association’s Heads Up campaign which aims to raise awareness around mental health.

Premier League giants Liverpool, Manchester clubs, Chelsea and Arsenal will be in FA action this weekend with the Merseyside derby being the highlight of the round. Games will be played 12:31 pm, 3.01 pm and 5:31 pm between Saturday 4th and Monday 6th January 2020. This competition is always iconic in the English football calendar and this year, it will be extra significant.

The Football Association's 'Heads Up' campaign, which aims to raise awareness around mental health, is being spearheaded by Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge is the reason behind the 60-second delay to consider the impact a minute can have on their own well-being.

All 32 FA Cup matches, regardless of their kick-off time, will be kicking off one minute later than usual. A video promoting the Heads Up campaign, which is narrated by Prince William and features including Frank Lampard, Dele Alli and Harry Maguire, will be shown to fans at stadiums and to those watching on television.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: ‘While delaying kick-off times by 60 seconds is a simple idea, it provides a powerful platform for us and our Heads Up charity partners to deliver a really important message on mental health. ‘We know that men, in particular, can be reluctant to talk about the subject, so it is important that we use football as a vehicle to stress the importance of mental fitness.’ Fans can search ‘Every Mind Matters’ to create their own personal mental health action plan.

"The Emirates FA Cup is a competition for everyone - for clubs big and small - and we want to use its power to help show that we all have mental health and that we can all take a minute to focus on how we can start to improve it."

 

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