QBE Foundation is backing charity R U OK?’s new campaign to promote a culture of mental health awareness in the grassroots sporting community.

The ‘Hey Sport, R U OK?’ campaign will direct sport coaches across Australia towards online resources that will equip community coaches with skills to identify and support sporting community members who might be struggling mentally.

QBE, which has partnerships with the Sydney Swans AFL club and the NSW Swifts netball side, will “encourage our elite sport partners to share the resources throughout their clubs and promote the campaign at a grassroots level,” QBE Foundation Australia Pacific co-chair Jon Fox said.

About 5 million Australians participate in grassroots sport or its organisation, encompassing all age groups and economic, regional and cultural demographics.

R U OK? CEO Katherine Newton says sport can break down barriers, reduce stigma and provide a safe and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

“All our feedback and advice points to coaches as having the most influential role in grassroots sport and the opportunity to change lives,” she says.