Castleford Tigers Foundation - Launch New ‘Offload’ Mental Fitness Program

Castleford Tigers Foundation Joins Forces with Featherstone Rovers and Wakefield Trinity to Launch New ‘Offload’ Mental Fitness Program Backed by Live Well Wakefield

Castleford Tigers Foundation, in partnership with Featherstone Rovers Foundation and Wakefield Trinity Foundation, is proud to relaunch the transformative Offload mental fitness programme across the Wakefield District. Funded by Live Well Wakefield, the district’s leading social prescribing service, the initiative aims to tackle men’s mental health challenges head-on through the power of Rugby League.

Offload offers men aged 16 and over the chance to step behind the scenes of their local clubs and learn how top Rugby League professionals maintain their mental strength alongside physical performance. Participants will meet current and former players, coaches, and referees, gaining practical techniques to handle stress, anxiety, and depression in a supportive, team-focused environment.

The six-week ‘season of fixtures’ kicks off on Monday 20^th October at The OneBore Stadium in Castleford at 6:15pm, hosted by Castleford Tigers Foundation. 

Amy Hardman, Head of the Tigers Foundation said “Bringing Offload to Castleford, and working alongside our professional club partners in Featherstone and Wakefield, means we can collectively reach more men across our communities who may be suffering in silence. Rugby League is at the heart of these towns, and that heart is now driving vital mental health support.”

Backed by Live Well Wakefield, Offload directly supports the local social prescribing network’s goal of improving community health through non-clinical interventions. With mental illness costing the UK economy over £70 billion annually and suicide rates alarmingly high, especially among men - this program meets a critical need. In the Wakefield District alone, men account for a staggering 86% of suicides, far surpassing the national average of 75%. 

“Offload doesn’t just change lives - it saves them,” said Emma Goldsmith, Head of Community at RL Cares, who developed the program. “The partnership between our local professional Rugby League clubs allows us to extend this life-changing work across the entire district. We know the challenges men face, and we know how to help.”

Participants in Offload will develop their own “mental fitness playbook,” while also gaining access to further opportunities within the Foundations - including physical activity sessions, heritage projects, and volunteering.

To register for the free Offload sessions at your nearest club, please contact:
foundation@castigers.com or click the link to register for FREE: https://tinyurl.com/43nub2mz