Michael Clarke's new Movember role

Michael Clarke has been named global ambassador for men’s health charity Movember.

The World Cup winning captain will be joining forces with Movember in a newly-created year-round advisor and ambassador role, in a bid to encourage others to talk openly about mental health and speak out about the challenges he dealt with during his career.

The role will allow Michael to further explore the roots of the mental health issues faced by not only cricketers, but all sportsmen, and to help add his valuable insight and lived-experience to Movember’s work.

Michael’s passion for changing the way mental health is perceived in sport aligns with Movember’s mission to change the face of men’s health, making him the perfect fit for the charity.

According to Movember, globally one man takes their life every minute – a figure which really hits home for Clarke.
Clarke said: “It is vital men understand that to be the best we can be, we need to talk more, which is why Movember’s message is so important.

“By being more embedded in the organisation, I will be able to contribute in a more hands-on, meaningful way – with the hope of helping Movember to achieve their goal of drastically reducing the number of men lost to suicide over the next decade.”

Clarke’s own career wasn’t without significant mental challenges, dealing with injury and a lapse in form during his final World Cup in 2015, while still coming to terms with the tragic death of teammate and close friend, Phil Hughes.

In an interview with The Times earlier this year, Clarke said: “There are more suicides in cricket, it’s out of control. My job is to help change that statistic. It’s going to take time and hard work. When I look back on my career, so many people were struggling with things that weren’t really spoken about. You hate to see people suffer, let alone if you’re in that same position and can comprehend what they’re going through.”

“Part of life is losing, you try and win but there’s nothing wrong with not being able to get there all the time.”

Movember co-founder JC said: "We're incredibly excited to have Michael on board. In Australia, our close relationship with the cricketing community has been a critical part of our growth and engagement with our Movember supporters, and it's an area that we want to continue to grow and develop.

"While there are already some fantastic pilot projects underway looking to improve the mental health and resilience of young people in sport - with the likes of New Zealand Rugby, the Canadian Hockey League and UK rugby's Harlequins - Michael's unique understanding of the pressures and demands on young men, both on and off the sporting field, coupled with his passion and lived-experience make him an invaluable asset in supporting Movember's future mental health projects."