The Rugby Players Association (RPA) and Premiership Rugby are pleased to confirm that Restart Round will be back in December, running from December 1-3, and dedicating Round 8 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby to raising awareness of players’ mental health.

Restart is the official charity of The Rugby Players Association (RPA) and we are dedicated to supporting professional rugby players suffering from serious injury, illness or hardship.

We provide financial and practical support to current and ex-players and their families during difficult times, including help with the cost of medical treatment, rehabilitation equipment, mental health and disability support.

We pay for a confidential helpline as a first touch point for any of our players experiencing a mental health issue. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and accessible from anywhere in the country. It is a discrete, safe lifeline for players finding it difficult to open-up and take the first step. From there a player will be able to access a trained professional who will be able to provide the support and help needed around issues such as anxiety, depression and stress, coping with injury, anger management, relationship issues, career transition, addiction and bereavement.

Each Gallagher Premiership Rugby club is also helping to raise vital funds for the charity with fans able to get involved in the following activity:

• Bidding on exclusive items such as signed Premiership Rugby club shirts and England shirts on our online auction
• Buying exclusive Restart memorabilia on our shop online
• Purchasing a ticket to the Restart Raffle at one of the games during the round or online.

Restart is also the official charity partner of the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final 2024 taking place on Saturday, June 8 at Twickenham Stadium. A donation to Restart can be made by on the ticket checkout, with tickets now available at www.premiershiprugby.com/gallagher-premiership-rugby-final-2024.

Christian Day, General Secretary at The RPA, said: “In light of the challenges in recent years, the need for mental health support has proven to be essential. Rugby players are people too, and despite the honour of being able to represent their clubs or nations on the greatest stage, there is real importance in placing mental wellbeing first. 

“We wanted to dedicate this year’s Restart Round to highlighting the important of mental wellbeing and stress, that the services are there for current and former players to use as and when they need. Mental Health support is available to all RPA members should they ever need it.”

Simon Massie-Taylor, Premiership Rugby Chief Executive added: “We are delighted to be involved in raising awareness of the mental health support available through the RPA during our annual Restart Round.

“Society has become a lot more accepting and understanding of mental health struggles that people can experience, and professional rugby should be no different. We know that having good mental health is beneficial to players on and off the pitch and we are proud to work with the RPA and Restart to help spread that message over Round 8 of the Gallagher Premiership.”

Keep an eye on Restart Rugby’s social channels (@RestartRugby) over the weekend, and let’s turn the Gallagher Premiership Rugby red!