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LONDON -- One in four professional footballers said they suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression in a new study into the sports largely unexplored "dark side" of mental illness. The mental health of recently retired professional footballers was even more worrisome, with one in three reporting signs of anxiety and depression. Some 300 current and former professionals -- from the Netherlands, Major League Soccer, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand -- took part in the study for the players union, FIFPro. While football can draw on reams of scientific study about players physical injuries, little research has previously been done into their mental health, and mental health problems have remained very much taboo in the sport, FIFPro chief medical officer Vincent Gouttebarge said. "There is definitely some dark side of professional football," he said in an interview. "We dont talk about mental health issues in football, or we didnt talk about this issue," he added. "Its quite a macho culture so people do not talk about it." Gouttebarge said the studys findings suggest that professional footballers are no less prone to mental illness than other younger people in the general population. He said that might surprise fans who believe footballers live comfortable, worry-free lives, with media attention often focusing on the wealth of the most successful players. "Contrary to what people think, professional footballers experience psychological problems just like other groups in the population," Gouttebarge said. Among the 180 active footballers who responded to the lengthy questionnaire, 10 per cent reported symptoms of distress, five per cent reported signs of burnout and three per cent said they suffered from low self-esteem. Nearly 20 per cent reported problems with alcohol, which Gouttebarge said could include binge drinking and regularly drinking too much, and seven per cent said they smoked. The 121 former professionals who responded on average had 12-year playing careers and have been retired for five years. Fifteen per cent showed signs of burnout and 18 per cent signs of distress. One in three reported drinking problems, 12 per cent smoked, and 39 per cent reported suffering from depression and anxiety. Gouttebarge said that could include worrying, mood swings, difficulties sleeping, feeling stressed, not being sociable or a combination of symptoms. "Mental illness seems to occur among former professional footballers more often than in current players, and more often than in other populations. Consequently, mental illness among former professional footballers cannot be underestimated and should be a subject of interest for all stakeholders in football," the study said. Retirement was "really a critical period," with players abruptly losing the structure of regular training and the support of being in a club, Gouttebarge said. "You have to find a new life," he said. "It can put you under a lot of stress." Long-term injuries and surgeries that take players out of the game and away from close, regular contact with teammates can also be factors in mental health problems. Being forced to stop playing professionally because of injury or because clubs wont offer another contract can be particularly hard to cope with, Gouttebarge noted. "This has been recognized in other sports as a huge cause of mental health issues," he said. "The guy who is willing to retire or to stop his career is really (in) a different kind of situation to the one who is forced to retire." He called the study "a good first step" toward identifying the scope of mental health issues in football. The survey is expanding to players in France and from French-speaking nations in Africa, with plans to also study players in Spanish-speaking countries and Japan, Gouttebarge said. nike vapormax γυναικεια .C. - Steve Clifford isnt exactly singing his teams praises after the Bobcats won for the sixth time in seven games. Nike Vapormax 2019 Greece . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be remembered more for a fantastic finish. http://www.vapormaxgreece.com/ . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . nike vapormax προς πώληση . The punch happened in the fourth quarter of Milwaukees 116-102 loss to the Kings on Wednesday when the two players became entangled while battling for rebounding position. nike vapormax skroutz . - The Kansas City Royals are hoping All-Star catcher Salvador Perez will be back in a few days.MONTREAL - What should be the biggest world junior championship ever is set to begin with pressure weighing heavily on Canada to end a five-year gold medal drought.The 11-day event to take place in Canadas two biggest cities, Toronto and Montreal, opens on Friday with the host country, led by 17-year-old top NHL draft prospect Connor McDavid, widely considered the favourite despite a string of disappointments since its last victory in 2009.Weve addressed (the pressure) for sure, Scott Salmond, Hockey Canadas vice-president for national teams, said this week. We talked about what it means to play at home to make sure were focused on the task at hand.But what I get from this group is a real level of excitement. We realize what type of team we are and how we want to play and were excited by the opportunity. They say you play all year in your league for home ice advantage. Weve got home ice advantage every game. So for us, its less about pressure and more about enjoying it.Canada opens group stage play at the Bell Centre on Dec. 26 against Slovakia, then faces Germany on Dec. 27, defending champion Finland on Dec. 29 and, in what is becoming a tradition, the United States on Dec. 31.Group B teams Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Switzerland will play at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.Canada will move to Toronto for the single-game knockout rounds. The final is Jan. 5 at the ACC.Hockey Canada, which hopes to beat the record $21 million in profits earned at the 2012 event in Calgary and Edmonton, secured rights to the 2015 and 2017 tournaments for Toronto and Montreal, charging steep ticket prices and looking for sellouts in the two NHL rinks.In 2017, the settings will reverse, with Canada playing group stage games in Toronto and knockout games in Montreal.Canadian dominance of the event, whose official name is the IIHF World Under-20 Championship, is no longer taken for granted. Canada won five years in a row twice, from 1993 to 1997 and from 2005 to 2009, but it is now a tougher tournament to win.More countries have talent at least close to matching Canada, notably the U.S., Russia, Sweden and Finland, and some European teams no longer play the soft game that left them vulnerable to Canadas forechecking style.And with the games played on the smaller NHL-size rinks, the Americans in particular will be gold medal contenders. The U.S. is led by Jack Eichel of Boston University, who is McDavids rival for the honour of being picked first in the next NHL draft.Sweden, led by Maple Leafs draft pick William Nylander and Canadiens prospect Jacob de la Rose, will be gunning for gold after taking silver the last two years.Signs that the tournament was getting harder to win were evident in Canadas 2009 victory, which needed Jordan Eberles shootout goal to beat Russia 6-5 in the semifinals before downing Sweden 5-1 in the final.The next year in Saskatoon, Ebeerle scored twice late in the third period to tie the U.ddddddddddddS., only to see John Carlson win it in overtime for the Americans on a magnificent end-to-end rush.Then came 2011 in Buffalo, when Canada led the final 3-0 after two periods only to see Russia storm back with five goals in the third.Canada beat Finland for bronze in 2012, but came fourth in 2013 in Ufa, Russia and again last year in Malmo, Sweden. It was the first time Canada was shut out of the medals two years in a row since a three-year stretch from 1979 to 1981.Disappointment was evident among fans and the Canadian hockey community.Even McDavid was moved to say during the Canadian teams pre-tournament camp that people are starting to doubt Canada and they dont really believe any more. Its annoying a little bit. You see how past people did and how great they were and everything like that. People just dont expect that of us anymore. They expect us to lose. That’s just not how it should be for Canada.Perhaps McDavids lets show em approach can be a rallying point for this years squad, the roots of which took shape when Canada sent its second youngest team ever to Malmo.Seven players are back for a second shot at gold, including McDavid, goalie Zach Fucale, defenceman Josh Morrissey and forwards Nic Petan, Frederik Gauthier, Sam Reinhart and Curtis Lazar. While last years squad was heavy on 18-year-olds, this one has 16 players who are 19.Salmond denied the Malmo tournament was merely a training ground for the glitzier event in Toronto and Montreal.It may look that way, but it wasnt, he said. That staff picked what we felt was the best group to give us a chance to win then.Sure it has helped us this year because of the number of players we have back. But it wasnt by design.Canada tried to select a stronger offensive roster this time, eschewing players only there to check. Rather, they picked talent to give them scoring depth on all four lines.Canada could have been even stronger had Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Drouin, Bo Horvat and Nathan MacKinnon been released by their NHL clubs, but it is no longer the only country missing players. For one, Washington refused to loan 19-year-old Andre Burakovsky to Sweden.But help came for Canada when the New York Rangers loaned sniper Anthony Duclair and the Ottawa Senators provided Lazar, who was named the teams captain.I like the fact that were an older group, said Ryan Jankowski, Canadas director of player personnel. Weve got skill throughout the lineup.Of course youd love to have MacKinnon, Horvat or Drouin, but I like the group we have. We have a nice balance throughout our 20 skaters.A highlight of this years event will be the showcase for McDavid and Eichel.Many consider McDavid, who makes dazzling plays at top speed, the best prospect since Sidney Crosby in 2005. Eichel is a dynamic speedster who also played at last years world juniors. ' ' '