Guy Butters recognised for services to brain health
The former Albion defender has been recognised for his instrumental role in the BHAFC Foundation’s Albion Memories group for fans with dementia.
Having spent 24 years associated with the Albion, it’s hard to overstate the impact Guy Butters has had on the club and the local community.
Guy played over 200 games for the Albion and was a key part of Mark McGhee’s side who won promotion to the Championship in 2003/04, winning the Player of the Year award along the way.
After retiring as a player in 2010, Guy soon returned to the club to take on a role at the BHAFC Foundation. In the many years since, Guy has pitched in across all areas of the charity and worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of local people.
He’s coached aspiring young players, supported young people working towards BTECs and apprenticeships, worked to rehabilitate people in Lewes prison, helped people lose weight, been a mentor, a coach, a fundraiser, and so much more.
Guy has now been recognised with a special award for services to brain health thanks to his work over the past three years on the Albion Memories programme.
Albion Memories
One of Guy’s current projects is to help run Albion Memories, which brings together and supports Albion fans with mild to moderate dementia and their families.
In September, Guy was presented with the Jeff Astle Award (awarded by the PFA and the Jeff Astle Foundation) for his services to brain health thanks to the key role he plays in the Albion Memories programme.
Dawn Astle, daughter of Jeff, helped form the Jeff Astle Foundation in 2015 to raise awareness of brain injury in all sports, and to provide support to those affected.
Jeff Astle, known for his career at West Bromwich Albion and England and for scoring the winning goal in the 1968 FA Cup final, passed away in 2002 aged just 59. In 2014, his cause of death was confirmed as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), making him the first British professional footballer to have been confirmed to have died from CTE.
CTE is a progressive, degenerative brain disease found in individuals (usually athletes) with a history of head injury, often as a result of multiple concussions. In Jeff Astle’s case, it was the repeated, low level brain trauma believed to have been caused from the repeated heading of footballs.
Dawn had this to say about Guy: “He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met to be honest with you. I’ve never heard anybody say a bad word about him, everyone thinks the world of him.
“I met Guy for the first time a couple of years ago at an Albion Memories group, and I could just tell instantly he’s always got time for people.
“The devotion he has to this role is so commendable. He’s making such a different to people’s lives. I don’t need to tell Brighton supporters how much Guy means to the club and the Foundation.
“His efforts absolutely don’t go unnoticed.”
Dawn presented Guy with his award during an Albion Memories session, with former teammates and colleagues including Adam Hinshelwood, Kerry Mayo, and former gaffer Mark McGhee watching on.
She also spoke of the importance of the Albion Memories programme, and the benefits it provides to people with dementia and their families.
“Albion Memories really provides a community, a safe space for people with a really horrible disease,” she said.
“Routine can be so important for people going through different stages of dementia, to know they’re going to the same place every week or two.
“I wish every single club ran a programme like Albion Memories because it really is invaluable.
“It’s quite emotional for me particularly to see how much Guy means to the people here. They might not remember exactly what Guy said to them after they leave, but they will remember how he makes them feel in that moment.”
Closing in on a quarter century
Next year will mark Guy’s 25th as a Seagull in some capacity. While he isn’t blocking shots or scoring headers anymore, his impact is still just as big off the pitch as it once was on it.
Some highlights from Guy’s many years supporting the Foundation include:
- Helping to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds by joining in the Foundation’s European cycle challenges, the most recent coming in 2019 with a 182-mile ride from Calais to Antwerp
- Supporting the annual memorial match commemorating Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt which has taken place for the past 11 years and raised tens of thousands
- Pitching in at the Foundation’s annual golf day, where Guy can often be seen driving a golf cart around to deliver drinks and supplies to the golfers
Kicking off the weight
For several years, Guy and the charity’s community wellbeing team were on a mission to help adults in Sussex to lose weight through the Kick Off The Weight programme.
The programme, which was supported by Adur and Worthing councils saw groups of men and women work with the Foundation over the course of twelve weeks, with the aim of losing weight in a healthy and sustainable way.
Guy acted as a personal trainer, fitness guru, and motivator-in-chief for the groups, with the biggest success coming in 2023 with a group of men from Worthing losing a collective 34 stone in twelve weeks.
Carl, a participant in one of the 2021 groups, lost almost three stone in three months thanks to the help he received from Guy and the team.
While the programme came to an end a couple of years ago, many of the groups still keep in touch and are living healthier lifestyles as a result.
Heads Up
One of Guy’s newest projects is the Heads Up programme. Heads Up, which is supported by the Premier League and PFA Players’ Fund, is a football programme which supports people’s mental health.
Heads Up is a welcoming, non-judgemental space to get active, which provides participants opportunities to connect with others and reduce their isolation. Football gives players a boost to their mood, motivation, and mental health, and Heads Up provides a chance to enjoy the game at your own pace – no pressure, just play.
The first Heads Up group launched in Brighton last year and Guy has worked with dozens of people in the programme already, helping to boost their physical and mental wellbeing.
The weekly football sessions are themed around mental health and include group workshops as well as one-to-one coaching support.
On Heads Up, Guy said: “We think that football has a massive role to play in supporting people’s mental health, so we’re delighted to have our Heads Up programme now up and running.
“The Albion is such a big part of life in the city so using the power of the club to support people’s mental health is a great opportunity to make a difference.”
Guy’s legacy
Everyone who has worked with or been supported by Guy at the Foundation will tell you what a presence he is, sentiments echoed by Foundation chief executive Joe Jenkins.
Joe spoke about the legacy of Guy’s long service: “All I can say to Guy is thank you for your years of hard work, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving to be honoured with the Jeff Astle Award.
“I hope Guy recognises how appreciated he is at the Foundation and by fans of the Albion, and I look forward to working alongside him for many years to come.”