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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Mark Wakefield & Elliott Jackson

Why Nottingham Forest's FA Cup clash at Chelsea is kicking off late

Nottingham Forest enter the FA Cup for the first time this season as they take on Chelsea in the third round of the competition this weekend.

The Reds take a break from their Sky Bet Championship campaign and head to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to take on Frank Lampard’s Blues.

This will be the first time Forest have taken on a Lampard-managed side since he left arch rivals Derby County in the summer to replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea.

The FA Cup will provide a nice distraction from League action for the Reds, who will be striving to achieve promotion to the Premier League this term.

However, every match in the third round, including Forest’s match at Stamford Bridge, will kick off one minute later at 2.01pm.

This is part of a team-up as part of the Heads Up campaign, with the one-minute delay encouraging supporters to think about their mental health.

During the delay, fans will 'Take A Minute' to think about the positive impact 60 seconds can have on their own wellbeing or in supporting a friend or family member.

The FA's Chief Executive Mark Bullingham said: "Whilst delaying kick-off times by 60 seconds is a simple idea, it provides a powerful platform for us and our Heads Up charity partners to deliver a really important message on mental health.

"We know that men, in particular, can be reluctant to talk about the subject, so it is important that we use football as a vehicle to stress the importance of mental fitness."

Spearheaded by HRH The Duke of Cambridge, the Heads Up campaign harnesses the influence and popularity of football to encourage more people to feel comfortable talking about, and taking action to improve, their mental health, recognising that mental fitness is just as important as physical wellbeing.

Chair of the Heads Up campaign Godric Smith said: "It is fitting that the first big Heads Up campaign moment should be linked to the Emirates FA Cup Third Round - a signature moment in any football season.

"The Emirates FA Cup is a competition for everyone - for clubs big and small - and we want to use its power to help show that we all have mental health and that we can all take a minute to focus on how we can start to improve it.

"We are very grateful for all the support from right across the football family, from our mental health charities - and to Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters for their fantastic partnership."

Heads Up is partnering with Public Health England’s Every Mind Matters across the third-round weekend to draw attention to the steps people can take to look after their mental health and well-being.

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