Stadiums to staches: Celebs join Movember to champion youth mental health

The hairy season is back with our annual celebrity photoshoot, and this year we’ve got a powerful new focus: youth mental health through sport. Across stadiums, training grounds and community clubs, familiar faces are joining in to rally sports fans everywhere. Grow a Mo, raise funds and change the game for the next generation.

The power of sport

Sport has always been about belonging, confidence and community. But today, with mental health challenges on the rise among boys and young men, those same environments can do even more: they can save lives.

That’s what our Ahead of the Game program is all about. It uses sport to help young players build resilience, open up when life gets tough, and support their teammates. It’s early intervention in action. Because half of all mental health issues begin by 14, and three-quarters by 24.

Through interactive workshops for players, coaches and parents, Ahead of the Game teaches how to spot challenges early and respond with confidence. It’s already reached more than 41,000 young people, parents and coaches across the UK. And this is just the beginning.

From pitch to playground

This year’s photography spans Premier League stadiums, training grounds and community spaces. Capturing the connection between young people, sport and the places that shape them. Our epic celebrity lineup includes:

• David Seaman, Joel Corry, Pete Tong and Perry Groves at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium
• Tony Bellew and Ian Snodin at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium
• Jason Isaacs repping Liverpool in his local park
• Rob Aramayo with his dad and Leeds legend Tony Dorigo at Elland Road
• Adam Hills and George Williams at the Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium
• Dominic Solanke and creator Danny Aarons at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Ground

These aren’t just photo ops. They’re a call to action.

A real look at the impact

Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke and content creator Danny Aarons went beyond the camera to join a Movember Ahead of the Game workshop with 12 to 13-year-old boys at Lea Valley Academy.

Delivered through the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, the session gave them a firsthand look at how Movember’s program helps young people understand their emotions, build resilience and support their mates: both on and off the pitch.

Danny Aarons shares:

"When I was younger, no one taught us how to talk about mental health. Watching how receptive the boys were in the Ahead of the Game session made me realise how much difference it could have made to us growing up. You just kept everything in and hoped it would go away, and that is not good enough for the next generation. I want young fans to grow up knowing it is OK to ask for help and Ahead of the Game is making that happen."

Dominic Solanke shares:

"I look at my daughter and want her to grow up in a world where talking about feelings is a strength, not something to hide. Seeing how engaged the boys were in the Ahead of the Game session showed me how powerful it is when we give young people the tools to cope with pressure. Too many kids are struggling in silence and sport has a responsibility to lead by example. I am proud to support something that is giving them real skills they can use in life."

Scaling up to reach more young people

And it doesn’t stop here. Over the next three years, Movember is massively scaling up its impact. Working with 50 partners across football, rugby league, cricket, boxing, athletics and more.

The goal: to reach 100,000 young people, parents and coaches, creating mentally fit clubs and communities nationwide.

This year, we’re also stepping up as:

• Official Mental Fitness Partner of the World Boxing Championships 2025 and the Rugby League Ashes
• Official Hosting & Charity Partner for the Global Alliance for Mental Health and Sport Conference at London Stadium this November

Because when sport talks, people listen. And together, we can make mental fitness part of the game plan.

Join the movement

Whether you’re growing your first moustache or your fifteenth, every moustache makes a difference. Funds raised during Movember fuel programmes like Ahead of the Game, giving young people across the UK the skills and confidence to talk about mental health and support each other when it matters most.

👉 Grow a moustache. Raise funds. Save lives. Sign up or donate now.