Lin Jong has opened up about his decision to step away from football to focus on his mental wellbeing.

The 26-year-old took time away from playing matches earlier this season, but continued to spend time around the Club and train with his teammates.

Jong said prioritising his mental health was an important decision for him.

“There were a few moments where I felt like, this probably isn’t how I have felt before,” Jong said.

“It was something that I’d been dealing with for a little while, it probably just took me a while to finally accept that I probably needed a little bit of help and to be honest with where I was at.”

Jong says the support of his teammates and coaching staff was important throughout a difficult time for him.

He has returned to football in recent weeks, playing the past three matches for Footscray at VFL level.

“I’ve played here for eight years, so it has nothing to do with the environment – the environment is really great,” Jong said.

“I love the coaches, I love the players, the Club has been really supportive. I couldn’t have really asked for much more.”

Jong hopes others can benefit from him speaking up about his decision, and that it will help combat the stigma attached to mental illness. 

“I think a big step into helping yourself is accepting that you might not be doing that well,” he said.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with you, I feel like there’s a stigma about that sometimes – that people with mental health issues have something wrong with them – but I’m the exact same person that I always have been.

“I think it’s important that people are speaking out and being honest with where they’re at.

“For me, it was important to not feel embarrassed about it, because there is nothing to be embarrassed about.”