Walsall midfielder Brendan Kiernan has been appointed as an ambassador for leading mental health and wellbeing charity The Kaleidoscope Plus Group.
Kiernan is a professional soccer player with more than 15 years of experience in the industry. His football journey began at Fulham FC and he later signed for Crystal Palace FC at the age of 15.
He then moved to the newly formed AFC Wimbledon academy and became the first academy graduate to sign for the first team. In that same season he made his debut at the age of 18 and was part of a historic team that saw AFC Wimbledon successfully promoted to the football league for the first time in the club’s history.
He stayed at Wimbledon for a further two seasons before plunging into non-league football with over 200 games under his belt. He joined Walsall in June 2021 and has scored five goals for the club so far this season. He also uses his expertise and experience to work with players from all over the soccer league.
Monica Shafaq, CEO of The Kaleidoscope Plus Group, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Brendan to the charity as our latest ambassador. Brendan is a strong advocate for mental health and aims to create safe spaces to address mental health challenges, build emotional resilience, and improve self-care, so we’re thrilled to have him on board.
“Mental health has a huge stigma within football. There is still much work to be done within clubs and the wider football community to support the mental health and well-being of players on and off the pitch, as well as their fans.
“There are also a lot of inequalities in football, and equality and well-being are big passions of mine, so working with Brendan gives us the opportunity to bring these issues firmly to the fore in a sector where he has been lacking, and a sector in which it can have a significant impact.
“The KPG team and I look forward to working with Brendan so we can help educate and support people who might be struggling both now and in the future.”
Kiernan’s appointment comes after the charity launched its new celebrity ambassador program in May 2020, in a bid to use support from a range of influencers to get Britain speaking out on mental health.
When not playing soccer, Brendan works with young soccer players to help them deal with rejection and build resilience on and off the field. The celebration of him ‘Call BK’ has been used to remind people to seek out the right support networks and safe spaces to maintain good mental health.
Kiernan said: “I am delighted to become an ambassador for the Kaleidoscope Plus Group charity, they provide great care and support to help more people improve their mental health and well-being. I am looking forward to offering my support to the charity.”
To find out more about the charity and the support it offers, visit www.kaleidoscopeplus.org.uk
