Alan O’Mara: ‘I’m proud of what I’ve overcome’, says New York manager

“I want to help groups come together, empower players to step up and lead and make sure you’re enjoying it, whatever sport you are playing,” added O’Mara.

“What motivates me to get out of bed in the morning is that I want to help other people to be the best they can be.”

Testing his own mental abilities played a role in O’Mara becoming New York manager.

“Part of the reason I wanted the New York job was selfish – I wanted to do it for me, I wanted to see what it was like to be a manager of that many people, with the support staff, the players and to deal with the pressure of it.

“I wanted to feel the stress of it and I wanted to feel the burden of leadership. The other reason is that I knew the calibre of player and person from the club scene. I did a little bit of work [with New York] a couple of years ago as mental health performance coach and I wanted to try to help them get to the next level.”

O’Mara’s mental health journey continues and he takes pride in how far he has come.

“When you go through the experiences that I go through it improves your self-awareness a lot. I’m good but I’m still on that journey of what I want to do, where I want to be and who I want to be.

“It’s just lived experience – I’m grateful for it. I’m proud of what I’ve overcome and what I’ve learned.”

You can find information and support about mental health provision via BBC Actionline.