To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker has partnered with PUMA, EA SPORTS FIFA, and suicide prevention charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), to release a limited-edition home and away kit.
The importance of mental health can never be stressed enough, and as we head into Mental Health Awareness Week, Kyle Walker has partnered with his brand, PUMA, to produce two special kits that will appear in FIFA 22, available in FUT by completing a series of in-game objectives. The kits, available to purchase through PUMA and Pro:Direct Soccer, have been designed by the England International to help open the conversation around mental health and challenge the stereotypes that prevent people seeking the help they need.
The home kit design reflects every stage of Walker’s football career; documenting the highs including Premier League title victories, to the lows of defeats in major finals for the PUMA ambassador. The colours on the kit represent each club the full-back has played for and is a tribute to the role of the clubs in making him the teammate and father he is today.
The away kit design is a vivid demonstration of the challenges surrounding poor mental health. Key statistics and phrases are included across the kit highlighting that 125 people die by suicide every week in the UK, with 75% of those being male. Alongside this, the kit champions CALM’s message that ‘life is always worth living’.
Speaking about the kits and the initiative, Walker said: “Everyone can suffer from the effects of mental ill health, but football can help because football is about being part of something. From when I was playing as a kid in Sheffield to now playing with Manchester City and England, the feeling has remained the same.”
Walker added: “When that whistle blows for kick-off nothing else matters; not your stress, not your relationships, not your worries. Partnering with CALM, PUMA and EA SPORTS to create these kits is a reminder that no matter what you’re going through, there’s always hope and always someone to lean on.”
A recent poll conducted by CALM found that two in three Britons are feeling overwhelmed, with 37% saying their mental health has got worse over the last two years. This has been reflected in record demand for CALM’s helpline services who answered a call for help every 59 seconds in 2021, with calls and chats covering topics such as health worries, financial stress, anxiety, relationship concerns and loneliness. That’s why CALM is encouraging people to stay connected and show there’s always someone on your side if you’re struggling.
From today, EA SPORTS FIFA 22 players will have the chance to unlock the home and away kits in FIFA Ultimate Team by completing a series of in-game objectives. The full Kyle Walker x CALM collection will be available in VOLTA FOOTBALL including cap, tracksuit and hoodie.
The physical home and away jerseys are on sale now at prodirectsoccer.com.
PUMA will also make a donation of the full retail price pf each jersey sold to CALM to support their life-saving services.
