MindLeague is an Italian project that, through free educational content, promotes the protection of the psychological wellbeing of young athletes.
The men's football World Cup has just ended, and among the images that will stay with many of us is the embrace between Argentina's captain, Lionel Messi, and Spanish forward Lamine Yamal. The photo has become a symbol of a passing of the torch between two generations of athletes, given that the two — 39 and 19 years old respectively — had already starred together in another memorable shot back in 2007, when, by pure chance, they were both involved in the same Unicef photo shoot.
Both began their football careers very early, facing many obstacles along the path that led them to celebrate just as many successes. We cannot know what emotions they felt. What we do know is that, despite the positive impact of sport on people's physical and mental wellbeing, performance anxiety can negatively affect the mental health of young athletes, both at competitive and amateur level.
It is to raise awareness on this issue that MindLeague was born — the first free digital platform offering educational content developed together with psychologists and other professionals. Practical tools with which parents, teachers and coaches can integrate mental health into the sporting practice of young athletes, particularly in the 9–14 age group.
The aim of the project, supported by a crowdfunding campaign launched through the BiUniCrowd initiative of the Università di Milano-Bicocca, is to transform every coach into a "hub of wellbeing, listening and prevention", ensuring that mental wellbeing becomes a pillar of every young athlete's development.
Among MindLeague's offerings, the training courses stand out, focusing on topics such as eating disorders, empathic feedback and injury management, available free of charge online and on demand. Dedicated events are also on offer, along with a series of articles and in-depth features. Trainers include sports psychologists, a body confidence expert, a pain management specialist and an empathy coach who helps sports professionals build positive relationships.
The goal is to help parents and coaches identify early signs of distress in athletes, so as to facilitate timely access to support. The project also aims to promote communication, empathy and inclusion, strengthening the sense of belonging to the sporting community and helping to prevent young people from dropping out of sport. All of this is delivered through a model designed to break down economic barriers and allow even the smallest sports associations to access quality resources.
"Training the mind means protecting the future of sport and of young people. The coach is the first adult to pick up on signs of distress: we want to give them the tools, the language and the awareness to act effectively and sensitively," says Federica Aceto, project leader of MindLeague, a psychology graduate with a background in social processes and years of experience in the active labour policy sector. Alongside Aceto, the MindLeague team includes Nicholas Napolitano, a software engineer, social innovator and project promoter, along with expert advisors and a network of sports and educational ambassadors.
"Coaches are not just technicians: they are reference figures that young people listen to, follow and often look up to as role models. That is why it is essential to invest in them. With MindLeague we want to provide concrete, easily applicable guidance that can truly make a difference in the lives of young athletes. We talk about mental health, but we do so through a language that belongs to the world of sport — one built on training, relationships and teamwork," says Federica Aceto. After all, the language of sport is universal. And perhaps that is precisely why the embrace between Yamal and Messi moved so many people.
