Kick-off at this weekend's match between Oxford United and Hartlepool United will be delayed to highlight the importance of mental health care.

The game on Saturday, January 4 will start a minute later – at 15.01pm – to give time for a short film that encourages football fans to 'take a minute' to look after their mental health.

Narrated by the Duke of Cambridge Prince William, the one-minute film will be played to millions during one of the biggest weekends in football across all 32 Emirates FA Cup Third Round fixtures.

The campaign also features football legends Frank Lampard, Harry Maguire, Dele Alli, Jordan Pickford and other sports celebrities.

Released today, the film is a collaboration between Public Health England’s (PHE) Every Mind Matters, the Football Association and Heads Together’s Heads Up campaign.

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Oxford Mail:

While the message in the campaign is aimed at everyone including players, supporters, friends and families, it is widely recognised that football can be a powerful way to reach men in particular.

There are over 15 million football fans in England, 69 per cent of whom are men.

Mark Bullingham, The FA’s chief executive, said: "We hope that the symbolic 60 second delay will be the start of a journey for better mental health for the millions who will be watching one of English football’s most famous weekends."

He added: "We’re delighted to have an association with Public Health England for this Round and to signpost fans to their ‘Every Mind Matters’ website, one of the simple steps that is readily available to drive change.”

New data reveals that 17.7 per cent of men in Oxford aged 16 and over have experienced a mental health condition.

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Oxford Mail:

Further national statistics show that men are less likely than women to seek help or take self-care actions for early signs of common mental health concerns like stress, anxiety, low mood or trouble sleeping.

A YouGov survey proves that of those men who did take steps to improve their mental health, over three quarters – 73 per cent – said they wished they had taken action sooner.

Nisha Sharma, health and wellbeing programme manager of PHE South East, said: "There’s a lot of people in our community who love football and will be watching the Emirates FA Cup Third Round this weekend, so we hope they see the film and will be inspired to start thinking about how they can improve their mental health."

The short film directs viewers to the Every Mind Matters website where they can create their own personal mental health action plan y taking a minute to answer a few questions.

To find our more about the campaign and for advice visit www.everymindmatters.co.uk.