Mercedes-Benz and Sky Sports star kick off Vantasy Football

Mercedes-Benz Vans and ex-Sky Sports star Chris Kamara have launched Vantasy Football, the UK’s first five-a-side football tournament to bring van drivers together through team sport to improve their mental wellbeing.

It comes as the new Under the Bonnet from Mercedes-Benz Vans reveals van drivers spend up to 25 hours a week alone with no one to talk to while a third (35%) have three or fewer conversations a day at work – compared with the national average of 27.

Almost nine in 10 (87%) said they felt lonely at work and almost half (47%) said loneliness was a regular occurrence in their working day. Two thirds (65%) said they suffer with depression or anxiety – four times the national average.

Meanwhile, 70% of van drivers agree having someone to talk to makes them feel better and one in five (21%) said taking part in team sport helps improve their mental wellbeing.

Vantasy Football

Robert Veit, MD of Mercedes-Benz Vans in the UK said: “The amount of van drivers on the road is increasing, and our Under the Bonnet report found that they are spending more time alone in their van.

“We’ve launched Vantasy Football – a football tournament exclusively for van drivers – to help improve the mental wellbeing of van drivers alone on the road by connecting them with like-minded colleagues off the road, through team sport.

“At Mercedes-Benz Vans we’re proud of the work that we’re doing to keep businesses and communities moving – and always being on the side of van drivers through everything the new day throws at them.”