Tyrhys Dolan says he will continue to do all he can to promote mental health awareness after featuring in Rio Ferdinand’s three-part documentary.

The former England and Premier League star released Rio Ferdinand: Tipping Point on Amazon Prime Video this week in a bid to raise awareness, and help tackle, some key issues within the game.

Episodes one and two focus on race and sexuality, with mental health the focus of the third episode.

It looks at how players cope with rejection and also the ability to speak out in an industry where keeping feelings hidden has been prevalent for so long.

Dolan, himself released by Manchester City and Preston North End, speaks about his journey but also the devastating loss he suffered in October 2020 when best friend Jeremy Wisten took his own life.

That came only a matter of months after being released by City where he had been a team-mate of Dolan.

The Rovers youngster was a pallbearer at the funeral of his friend, and has since used his platform to help promote mental health awareness, teaming up with the Go Again charity who are also featured in the episode.

Their aim is to provide free professional mental health support and content to players and coaches at all levels of sport, including those released by academies.

Speaking of his involvement in the documentary, which was three years in the making, Dolan said: “For me personally, losing someone so close to me, speaking out is a big part of what I do.

“I’m trying to make a difference because that’s what he’d want.

“I’m just trying to do everyone proud and do the right thing by speaking out.

“It’s not easy, and not many people will do it but I want to put myself out there to go the extra yard for people and hopefully I can make a difference.

“Reaching the bigger platforms, hopefully we can help spread the message even further.”

Dolan joined City as an Under-12, but was released at 16 and went on to spend two years with Preston North End.

He wasn’t handed a professional contract by North End, later joining Rovers where he has since clocked up a century of appearances and become a mainstay in the first-team plans.

“To put in all that work, to see the rewards of being a footballer, for someone to take that away just as you’re about to grab it, it was something that was always on my mind as a kid,” Dolan said of his release by City.

Research by the programme shows that of the 1.5 million playing in organised youth football in England, only 180 will make it as a Premier League professional, just 0.012 per cent. It also states that 88 per cent of Academy players suffer from anxiety or depression after their release.

“I didn’t know the odds were stacked against young footballers that much. You can’t win, almost,” Ferdinand said.

“Is there a safety net for these players? What happens next? Is their mental health being looked at and addressed, or is it just a box-ticking exercise?

“I think more can be done.”

Dolan opened up about the loss of his friend Jeremy, explaining: “It was a sunny day, and I remember waking up and saying to my mum that it was a nice day.

“His mum phoned me and let me know and I remember being in the back garden and I fell to my knees and I was a mess, broken.

“She was so strong, I couldn’t believe how strong she was.

“She was crying on the phone but the stuff she was saying was ‘thank you, for being his best friend. He always spoke about you’.

“She used to drop him off at mine and she knew the bond we had.

“I was his best mate, I knew what it’s like to be released, so I said that if he needed any of my help to let me know.

“I felt he felt that he would be causing me stress by putting his problems on me, but that wasn’t the case, I’d have sat all day with him if I knew he was struggling.”

Ferdinand’s son, Lorenz, is on the books of Brighton & Hove Albion, with the topic giving him an insight into the importance of the issue for young footballers.

He said: “After seeing Tyrhys and hearing him talk about his best mate, Jeremy, it does get you thinking about the fact that one of our kids is in the system now, the importance of them talking, communicating, because they’re thrust into an environment where it is ‘hide your feelings, don’t say too much, because you could be judged’.

“So you hold things in, because it’s about being consistent, winning football matches and being the best every day, but it’s so much to take on as a young kid going into that environment that you need some sort of release and someone to talk to about these things because it can be overwhelming for some people.”

  • All three episodes of Rio Ferdinand: Tipping Point are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video

TAKE OUT A SUBSCRIPTION...

GAIN UNLIMITED AND UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO THE LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH WEBSITE WITH A PREMIUM DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION