Former England goalkeeper David Seaman is throwing his weight behind a new campaign highlighting the positive impact angling can have on mental health.
The keen angler, who won 75 caps for the national side, has teamed up with the EA and Dave Lyons and Andy Beeman from the Tackling Minds group to make a film in which the trio discuss how fishing helped them overcome multiple challenges.
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It comes off the back of recent research by the Angling Trust which revealed that 86 per cent of anglers believed that fishing helped them to deal with symptoms of stress and anxiety.
The same study – which polled 5,500 British anglers – found that over half the respondents found it easier to talk about their issues since taking up fishing, highlighting its power in helping people, particularly men, to ‘open up’.
“Given the pressures of life, fishing has been a great outlet for me to relax, de-stress and enjoy the great outdoors,” David said.
“It was a real eye-opener meeting Dave and Andy to hear first-hand the impact angling has had on changing people’s lives for the better.
“I would definitely recommend fishing as a way to manage stress levels,” he added. “A rod licence really is an investment in self-care.”
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