Case Studies

Janette Hynes

Positive Mental Attitude Sports Foundation

Winner of a Medical Futures Innovation Award

“As part of her Award, Medical Futures has mentored Janette and her team and assisted the restructuring of the PMA from a London based activity into a scalable national activity”

The Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) Football League is an engaging social venture for sufferers of mental illness. Created by former professional footballer and coach, Janette Hynes in 2005, the PMA aims to help its players achieve better physical and mental health, thus enabling recovery and reintegration into the community.

Since winning her Award, Janette’s London based pilot has been professionalised and a review of activities demonstrated that of the 350 participants in its first two years, a staggering 75% returned to meaningful education or employment as a result. The PMA League has now partnered with the Football Association, the Football Foundation and the NHS to ensure secure funding and a joined-up approach to the use of football as a tool to help sufferers of mental illness.

As part of her Award, Medical Futures has mentored Janette and her team and assisted the restructuring of the PMA from a London based activity into a scalable national activity with a growing waiting list of teams eager to join.

A fly on the wall documentary is being filmed and is soon to be televised. This includes footage of the day Janette received a letter from the Queen, honouring her with an MBE for services to disability, as well as a friendly match between the PMA’s Hackney Football Club and the UK Parliamentary Football team. The PMA has widened its remit to include other sports and is providing skills programmes with employment opportunities. Over 1,000 individuals with a mental health diagnosis have benefited from the PMA sports programme to date, with an outstanding success rate in helping players succeed in engaging in further education, training, voluntary and paid work.