Nine months on from launching the Premier League Together Against Suicide pilot, Wolves and Wolves Foundation are proud to reflect on the progress made and to look ahead to an exciting next phase built around three simple words Ow Am Ya?
Wolves amongst other professional football clubs have received funding through the Together Against Suicide initiative, which aims to raise awareness of mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention through the power of football.
Every 90 minutes, someone in the UK takes their own life. Suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50, with key risk factors including social isolation, financial stress, relationship breakdowns and the stigma around seeking help. Football brings people together and opens doors for honest conversation and it is that platform that Wolves and Wolves Foundation and its fellow clubs are using to help save lives.
The first season: Building the foundation
Since the initiative launched, Wolves and Wolves Foundation have been working with a Samaritans to provide support for fans experiencing suicidal thoughts on Molineux matchdays. Here at Wolves, we have 10 dedicated wellbeing stewards who have received additional training to recognise the signs of distress, engage in supportive conversations, and help connect fans to appropriate safeguarding and specialist support services when needed.
This has also provided an important route for friends and family who may be concerned about someone they know a quiet, accessible way to start a conversation that could make all the difference.
All club staff involved in the project have received training from Samaritans, helping them to listen without judgement and signpost to professional help. The goal has always been clear: empower fans to take that first step and foster a culture of care and early intervention.
Introduction of Ow Am Ya?
At the heart of the next phase is a simple, local idea. "Ow Am Ya?" the traditional Black Country greeting has been adopted as the central expression of the programme: a warm, familiar phrase rooted in the language of Wolverhampton that opens the door to honest conversations about how someone is really feeling.
On Friday 8th May 2026 at Molineux Stadium, Wolves and Wolves Foundation hosted a landmark evening that brought together 60 fans from across all supporters' groups for a powerful and engaging suicide awareness session. Co-delivered by club and Foundation staff in partnership with Samaritans, the workshop was met with an overwhelmingly positive response and demonstrated the appetite among the fanbase to be part of this movement.
The session gave fans knowledge, language and confidence: knowledge of the Together Against Suicide pilot and how it works at Molineux; accessible language rooted in the local vernacular to check in on those around them; and the confidence to start those conversations without fear or judgement.
Looking ahead
Given how well the workshop was received, plans are already in place to deliver further sessions to more fans across the coming season. The aim is to grow the reach of Ow Am Ya? significantly making the phrase a recognised and meaningful signal of community care across the city.
More fans will have the opportunity to attend co-delivered sessions with club, Foundation and Samaritans staff, building a growing network of supporters who are equipped to look out for one another. Through football, through shared identity, and through those three words — Ow Am Ya? — Wolves are committed to making mental health conversations easier, more natural and more common.
The Premier League continues to work with Samaritans, who provide people across the UK with 24/7 confidential support via their Together Against Suicide online hub at premierleague.com.
Support is available - you are not alone
Whether you're in crisis, supporting someone you care about, or experiencing bereavement, help is available locally and nationally.
Click here for suicide prevention & bereavement support
Additionally, Head 4 Health is a Premier League and Professional Footballers Association funded project with additional funding from City of Wolverhampton Council.
The project aims to improve the mental well-being of adults through informal but educational workshops and physical activity.
Head 4 Health is for any adult who is over 18 and wishes to improve their well-being.
For more information, please contact healthadmin@wolves.co.uk or visit Mental Health - Wolves Foundation.
Ow Am Ya? — you are not alone.