Mental health in sport: Opportunities for the future of recreational and elite sport psychology

Mental health is a core concern of sport psychology, yet the field's engagement with mental health remains relatively recent. This paper identifies and explores four key challenges and opportunities that can advance mental health research and practice in sport psychology. First, we outline the need for solutions to better mental health including a shift from problem-oriented research focused on identifying causes of mental ill-health, toward solution-oriented designs that test and inform interventions and policy decisions. Second, we argue that meaningful mental health promotion in sport requires moving beyond individual-level programs to a systems-level approach that targets sport environments and structures. Third, we highlight the necessity of a nimble and responsive research agenda that keeps pace with societal change and policy development. Fourth, we emphasise the need for conceptual clarity to guide research, practice, and policy development. These challenges are deeply entwined: conceptual clarity underpins effective interventions; high-quality, solution-oriented research supports system-level change; and agile research processes can accelerate translation into practice. A scientist-practitioner agenda can facilitate progress across all challenges by ensuring that research and practice are mutually informative. Together, these entwined priorities offer a roadmap for the field to more effectively promote mental health in sport. We conclude by calling for a discipline-wide commitment to clear conceptualisation, rigorous and relevant research, and meaningful integration between science, policy, and practice across all levels of sport participation.