Pre-mentality

  • Luke

    From a young age, co-founder Luke was immersed in football, playing within Cardiff City’s academy and proudly representing Wales until U16 level. His future in the game looked bright, until everything changed. A devastating hamstring injury, where the muscle partially tore off the bone, suddenly cut his journey short. Luke had been dreamed of great things in football, but life had other plans.

  • Calum

    From a young age, Co-Founder Calum grew up loving playing football, but one thing he loved more than being out on the pitch, was taking a pre-game selife. Calum had always been destined to take awful selfies.

The Beginning

Like many guys in their early 20s, we both faced struggles with our mental health. At first, like so many men, we found it hard to open up. Instead of talking about what we were going through, we internalised it, bottling things up and carrying the weight alone.

Then came COVID-19. The world slowed down, but the noise in our heads got louder. It reached a point where we couldn’t hold it in anymore, so we sat down and opened up to each other. It turned out to be one of the best things we’ve ever done.

The more we talked, the more we realised we weren’t alone. Conversations with our wider friendship group revealed that so many of us had been quietly fighting the same battles. The same worries. The same silence.

Coming from sporting backgrounds, we knew how powerful sport could be when your head isn’t in the best place. But we also knew the darker side - the stigma, the pressure to “man up,” the toxic environments where mental health is brushed aside.

And we were tired. Tired of seeing the same heartbreaking stats, suicide being the biggest killer of men under the age of 50, more than 2 million individuals in England on waiting lists for NHS mental health support. Tired of staying quiet. We felt we had to do something. Not because we had all the answers, but because we had a fire in our gut and a simple goal: to spark change, however small.

We had zero fashion experience. No clue how to build a brand. And honestly, not really any idea how we were going to manage it with our already busy lives. But we knew the first step in changing the conversation around mental health was getting people talking, and sometimes, the easiest way to say something… is without saying opening your mouth at all.

Clothing felt like the most natural way to do that. A visual cue. A quiet nod. A symbol of solidarity, for those who are struggling, for those who care, for those who want to stand up and be part of the change.

In April 2023, Mentality Clothing was born.

But we didn’t stop there. We knew the clothes were just the beginning. We wanted to create something real. Something with impact. Something tangible in our community.

In September 2023, Mentality Football was born.

Mentality

So we began our journey, we worked day and night, at the time Calum studying a bachelours degree and working 3 internships in football and Luke balancing a full time job, to create Mentality. We began by sketching out all the messages we had in our heads that we wanted to get across to people. But we knew we needed something more to go with it to encapsulate the message in one visual, we created Brain Rooney. Our pink brained mascot with a plaster. By September 2023, he had a friend, Mario Ballotelli. We learnt how to design our logos and put them on T-Shirts and began dropshipping them.

We worked hard refining and spreading our message and went 2024 with a burning desire to help as many people as we could.

mentality 2024

February 2024

We collaborated with Girls Who Run Cardiff and Mind Cardiff to raise £550 for the charity.

Mentality 2025

It's been a busy few months

April 2025

Our 'We Grow Toghether' campaign is launched with Blackburn Rovers

Present day

Now more than ever, we are extremely passionate about spreading our messgae as far and wide within sport as possible.

It is not weak to ask for help

It is strong to show emotion

One of the bravest things you can do is open up and talk

We're proud of you.

Thank you for being on this journey with us. Together, let's redefine the game, prioritise mental health, and create a sports culture where everyone thrives. Let's challenge existing paradigms and foster a culture where mental health is celebrated, supported, and woven seamlessly into the fabric of sports.

A winning 'Mentality' starts from within.

Thank you.
Diolch,
Calum & Luke

P.S if you need any more support please check out our 'More Support' page 🫶🏼

More Support