With mental health in sport very much in the news, the Latrobe Valley Kempe Read the Play round in North Gippsland football and netball this weekend takes on even greater importance.

Launched as a pilot in the Latrobe Valley in 2013, Kempe Read the Play is an innovative program, which helps young people learn about mental health problems and where to get help. The program was rolled out across clubs in the Gippsland, Mid Gippsland and North Gippsland Football Netball Leagues in the foundation year last season.

The program is delivered at the club by full trained presenters, who impart information about mental illness through engaging young players in fun and interactive games, thereby helping to remove the stigma and increase help seeking behaviour.

Made possible by support from GDF SUEZ Australian Energy, this weekend's Read the Play round will see under age footballers and netballers from the North Gippsland Football Netball League and Gippsland Power Football Club participate in the round of matches, raising awareness of the program and encouraging young people to look out for one another.

Read the Play round matches will begin at 10am, in the Thirds and Under 17 Netball matches of the North Gippsland Football Netball League and from 1pm in the Gippsland Power v Calder Cannons encounter at Morwell Football Ground.

A Kempe Read the Play match ball will be used during the matches, which will then be awarded to the player who best demonstrated 'looking after their mates' as judged by a Read the Play committee member.

Thirty girls from the Gippsland Power youth girls team also took part in a Read the Play session on Tuesday night.

Latrobe Valley Kempe Read the Play Chairperson, Steve Hardy said young people welcomed information about areas including suicide prevention, eating disorders and how to help peers.

Gippsland Power coach Leigh Brown is the local ambassador of the Read the Play program, with his side to contest the Read the Play round trophy against Calder Cannons in Morwell on Saturday.

"This weeks Read the Play round gives us a chance to raise the awareness and bring to light an important issue; mental health and well-being.

"It is a growing topic that we are seeing more and more of in life and on the sporting field as highlighted by Geelong's Mitch Clark's constant battle with depression. We are proud to play our part in helping raise awareness and we encourage anyone that needs some help to feel safe and confident to speak up."

GDF SUEZ Head of Corporate Affairs, Jim Kouts, said the company was pleased to partner with a program which is having such a positive impact on our youth.

"We are proud to have partnered with the Read the Play program in the Latrobe Valley over the past two years, and are excited to be supporting the committee in launching the Read the Play round which will create more awareness among our youth of the program and the services available to them," Mr Kouts said.