Why Reading FC shirts will look a little different this weekend

We need new conversations about mental health and suicide prevention – which is why Select Car Leasing is proud to be backing UK charity Beder.

Since 2021, Select has been the Principal Partner of Reading FC, with the company’s logo featuring on club shirts and the stadium itself.

On February 1st, however – as Reading take on Bolton Wanderers at the Select Car Leasing stadium – players’ shirts will instead be emblazoned with the Beder logo as part of a broader initiative designed to get more people talking and to focus on the importance of checking in on those around you.

Beder is a mental health and suicide prevention charity founded in 2019 by Razzak Mirjan and his family following the tragic loss of Razzak’s brother, Beder Mirjan, who took his own life aged 18 in 2017.

Razzak says: “We’re incredibly grateful to Select Car Leasing for giving us this unique opportunity and we can’t wait to see the Reading FC players wearing our one-off Beder shirts. The idea is simple. We hope that by seeing the Beder logo on the players’ chests it sparks enough curiosity from supporters that they Google our name and find out what we do. It’s about kick-starting new conversations about mental health and suicide prevention and making more people feel comfortable about opening-up.”

One of Beder’s key strengths is how it can fund six free, online therapy sessions, of 50 minutes each via its partner Mindler, to anyone who applies for Beder Therapy Vouchers.

Beder Therapy Vouchers are available to anyone who is 18 or older – men and women of all demographics living in the UK – with more than 500 online sessions having already taken place since mid-2023.

Mark Tongue, CEO and Founder of Select Car Leasing, says he jumped at the chance to back Beder.

He revealed: “Football brings people together, uniting fans from all walks of life with a shared sense of belonging and identity. So what better way to spread the word about one of the UK’s leading mental health and suicide prevention charities than by putting Beder’s name and logo on the front of a team’s shirt? Personally speaking, my own family has been touched by the loss of a loved one through suicide, so this is a topic close to my own heart.

“When we learned about the charity’s aims and ambitions, we jumped at the chance to put Beder in the spotlight at the Select Car Leasing stadium for this special, one-off occasion. It’s a chance for people to start thinking more deeply about mental health, to check in with friends and family, and to open-up about how they might be feeling. These aren’t easy conversations but it’s vital that we all have them.”

For more information about Beder and Select Car Leasing: www.selectcarleasing.co.uk

** Besides featuring on the front of shirts, Beder will also have a presence in the Reading FC Fan Zone at the Select Car Leasing stadium from 1pm, Feb 1st, for the home match against Bolton Wanderers. You’ll be able to play a game of football darts, win prizes, buy merchandise, and even rub shoulders with a former Reading player. For more information about Beder – beder.org.uk