Faith, rugby, and mental health: How one chaplain is changing the game

When Ammanford Rugby Club asked its chaplain Marcus Thomas to help improve mental health support for players, he leapt at the opportunity. He told Chris Rolfe about his work supporting both club and community

“For a number of years, I have suffered in silence. Grieving the loss of my grandparents and consecutive rugby injuries are the main contributors to my mental health, causing stress and anxiety. On 5 February, I reached the lowest point of my life and regrettably, I took the decision to try to end it with an overdose.”

This was the brave and starkly honest social media post written by former Ospreys rugby scrum-half Harri Morgan in April 2023 as he announced a temporary step-down from the game. When he decided to make the move permanent last November, he cited protecting his mental health as his reason.

Harri’s story is one of many that reveal the major issues around mental health and suicide in the world of Welsh rugby. It’s stories like these that are motivating retired Elim pastor Marcus Thomas to take action in his club and community.

Marcus and his wife Pat moved to Ammanford, South Wales, in October 2021 and now attend Bont Elim. Their move reignited Marcus’ passion for rugby. He became chaplain of Ammanford Rugby Club in September 2022, then joined its new walking rugby team in 2023.

Relationships built during matches, chaplaincy and being a registered Welsh Rugby Union player have helped him gain trust and acceptance, he says. “Playing for the club is an obvious way of getting to know the men there – I’m 69 and they call me their poster boy!”

This meant, for example, that when Marcus learned a player’s daughter was having an operation, his offer of prayer was gratefully accepted. “At tournaments people ask, ‘is the vicar coming to play?’ That opens up a few conversations too!”

As Welsh Rugby has ramped up efforts to raise awareness of mental health issues in the sport in the past year, Ammanford has been keen to develop support for its players. This is where Marcus is helping. As club chaplain, he was tasked with researching the issue, attending seminars and training with Carmarthenshire County Council.

Here, he has learned about the situations players face and how to support them. “Some of the stories about initiation ceremonies are horrible. I’ve been hearing about problems on people’s pathways in rugby too. One player had been at a rugby academy but was told he was ‘from the wrong postcode’. Another was at a senior team but was told his face ‘didn’t fit’. These situations can be devastating.

“I attended a mental health course recently and a player was there who was struggling, but I saw how the trainer spoke to and encouraged him.”

From this, Marcus is launching a plan to support his own team and community. “We have to get conversations started so we’ll put up posters Welsh Ruby Union has produced which direct people to 12 different avenues of help, including the NHS and a youth charity called Young Minds. We’re also working with a group called Speakeasy which provides free mental health and wellbeing resources for community sports clubs.”

One of Speakeasy’s projects is its benches, which aim to encourage people to sit and talk, or access help and resources confidentially via QR codes attached to them.

Ammanford Rugby Club is to have two such benches, says Marcus, and he has the perfect people lined up to make them. “I’m a member of a group called Men’s Shed where people get together to do practical activities like woodworking and get involved in community projects.

“My Men’s Shed group has offered to make the benches for free if the club buys the wood.

“It’s a great fit because supporting mental health is important for Men’s Shed too, with it providing company and a safe place to meet. I’m hoping there will be an overlap and that the mental health training I’m doing in rugby will help me promote it at Men’s Shed too.”

The benches will benefit the whole community by being placed on a public walkway outside the clubhouse. One QR code on them will connect to Speakeasy and its mental health resources. Another will connect to the Jac Lewis Foundation – a Wales-wide organisation based in Ammanford that offers mental health advice and an instant counselling service.

It’s not just adults Marcus is keen to support, though. He is also building links with the junior section of the club. “I’ve got to know the first team, coaches and parents by giving out oranges and chocolates at their training sessions and looking out for players when they are injured during matches.

“I also met with the junior committee who wanted to know what I’ve been doing around mental health. I prepared a report for them with options they could develop and information on courses. I told them about organisations like Young Minds, Loose Heads and Speakeasy which support younger players.”

He is also keen for his club to become a mental health and information hub in the local rugby community, so he is linking up with neighbouring Amman United – which he recently supported through the sudden death of a player – and Carmarthenshire County Council.

Marcus says he was inspired by the story of a coach at a high-level training centre who cared for a struggling player, whose career has since soared.

“I feel God is leading me into new areas of ministry where I can have a bigger impact too, and where I can still be a pastor,” he says.

“I’m motivated by the description of Jesus as a friend. We want to take care of people mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically, and this is a great way to provide pastoral care.”

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.