May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and for youth sports clubs across America, it’s a timely reminder that what happens off the field matters just as much as what happens on it. Young athletes face real pressures — from performance anxiety and social comparison to the emotional demands of competition — and the clubs and coaches around them are uniquely placed to help.
Spond makes it easier for clubs to stay connected with their members, coordinate activities, and build the kind of community where young people feel genuinely supported during Mental Health Awareness Month . Here are 20 meaningful, low-cost Mental Health Awareness Month activities your club can run this May.
Start With Conversation
The single most powerful thing a youth sports club can do during Mental Health Awareness Month is make mental health a normal topic. That starts with coaches and leaders modelling openness.
1. Hold a Team Check-In Circle
Before or after a session, gather players in a circle and invite everyone to share one word that describes how they’re feeling. No pressure, no judgement. It takes five minutes and builds a habit of emotional awareness that pays dividends all season.
2. Run a Coaches’ Briefing on Mental Health Basics
Equip your coaching staff with basic knowledge of the signs to watch for — withdrawal, irritability, sudden drops in performance — and clear guidance on how to signpost members to support. Even a 30-minute session makes a real difference.
3. Share Your Club’s Mental Health Policy
If you have one, Mental Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to surface it and share it with parents and players. If you don’t have one, now’s the time to create a simple, one-page commitment to member wellbeing. Use Spond to distribute it instantly to your entire club.
Build Connection and Belonging
Feeling part of something is one of the strongest protective factors for young people’s mental health. Sports clubs are ideally placed to deliver that sense of belonging.
4. Organise a Club Social Event
Pizza night, a movie screening, a bowling trip — it doesn’t need to be elaborate. Low-pressure social time outside of training helps players build friendships that sustain them through tough patches.
5. Start a Buddy System
Pair up newer members with established ones. A simple check-in text or a wave at training can mean everything to a young player who’s feeling isolated. Use Spond’s messaging tools to keep buddy pairs connected between sessions.
6. Welcome New Members with a Warm Onboarding
The first few weeks in a new club are when young people are most vulnerable to feeling like they don’t belong. A structured welcome — introductions, a tour, a dedicated point of contact — signals from day one that this club looks after its members.
Create Space for Expression
Young athletes need outlets beyond competition. Giving them ways to express how they’re feeling — creatively or verbally — builds emotional resilience.
7. Set Up a Feelings Graffiti Wall
Put up a large sheet of paper in your clubhouse or changing area and invite members to write or draw how they’re feeling anonymously. It’s a visible, low-barrier way to make emotions part of the club’s culture.
8. Introduce Journaling at Training
Give players five minutes at the end of a session to jot down one thing they’re proud of and one thing they’re finding difficult. It doesn’t need to be shared — the act of writing itself has well-evidenced benefits for emotional regulation and self-awareness.
9. Run a ‘What Makes Me Feel Good’ Workshop
Invite players to identify their personal wellbeing toolkit — the activities, people, and routines that help them feel their best. A short, facilitated group session builds self-awareness and sparks useful conversations between teammates.
Reduce Stigma Around Mental Health
Stigma is still one of the biggest barriers to young people seeking help. Your club can be part of changing that.
10. Share Athlete Mental Health Stories
Post on your club’s social channels about professional athletes who have spoken openly about their mental health struggles. Seeing role models normalise these conversations gives young players permission to do the same.
11. Wear Green for Mental Health
Pick a training session this May and ask everyone to wear something green — the colour associated with mental health awareness. It’s a visible, low-effort show of solidarity that opens the door to conversation.
12. Display Mental Health Resources Visibly
Put up posters in your clubhouse, changing rooms, and communal areas with information on local and national mental health support. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741), and the JED Foundation are all good starting points for youth-focused resources.
Get Active for Wellbeing
Physical activity is one of the most effective evidence-based tools for improving mental health during Mental Health Awareness Month. and at all other times. Your club is already delivering this every week — lean into it.
13. Run a Mindful Warm-Up
Start a training session with two minutes of deep breathing or a simple body-scan exercise before the physical warm-up begins. It brings players into the present moment and models the kind of mental preparation that elite athletes use.
14. Organise a ‘Movement for Mood’ Challenge
Challenge members to log 30 minutes of physical activity every day throughout May. Use Spond’s group features to share progress, celebrate milestones, and keep everyone motivated. Tie it to Mental Health Awareness Month and explain why movement matters for the mind.
15. Hold a Nature Walk or Park Session
Swap one training session for an outdoor walk or a relaxed session in a park. Time in green spaces has documented benefits for mental health, and a change of environment can do wonders for a team’s mood and cohesion.
Involve Parents and the Wider Club Community
Mental health in youth sport doesn’t stop at the final whistle. Parents, guardians, and club volunteers play a critical role.
16. Send a Mental Health Awareness Month Newsletter
Use Spond to send a newsletter to parents and guardians during May covering the pressures young athletes face, signs to watch for at home, and tips for having open conversations. A few hundred words can make a genuine difference.
17. Host a Parent Q&A with a Mental Health Professional
Invite a local counsellor, psychologist, or school mental health lead to run a 45-minute Mental Health Awareness Month online session for parents. Cover the pressures of youth sport, social media’s impact, and how adults can create space for honest conversations at home.
18. Recognise Volunteers for Their Wellbeing Contribution
Club volunteers carry a lot. This Mental Health Awareness Month, take a moment to publicly recognise the coaches, administrators, and parent helpers who create a safe, supportive environment for young members. Appreciation is good for everyone’s mental health.
Sustain It Beyond May
Mental Health Awareness Month is a starting gun, not a finish line. The clubs that make a real difference are the ones that embed wellbeing into their year-round culture.
19. Appoint a Club Wellbeing Lead
Designate one person — a coach, administrator, or trusted parent volunteer — as your club’s Mental Health Awareness Month wellbeing champion. Their role is to keep mental health on the agenda, signpost members to support, and ensure this month’s energy doesn’t quietly fizzle out in June.
20. Schedule Monthly Check-In Sessions
Build the check-in circle from activity one into your regular training schedule — once a month, every month. It takes five minutes and sends a clear message to every player: in this club, how you feel matters.
How Spond Helps Youth Sports Clubs Support Their Members
Running these activities for Mental Health Awareness Month is much easier when your club communication is in one place. Spond gives coaches and administrators the tools to coordinate sessions, send announcements, message individual members, and build the connected club culture that underpins good mental health.
From sharing Mental Health Awareness Month content with your whole club to organising the logistics of a wellbeing event, Spond keeps everything simple — so you can focus on your members. Download the app and see how it works for your club.
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