A local Doncaster man set up a football club to break down the stigma surrounding men’s mental health and build a community around the game.

The football matches are friendly games to promote fitness and provide an open space for the players to talk about their mental health. 

One of the players, Liam Bryan, 35, said: “It does help knowing that when you’ve had a tough week you can just come here […] and you can talk about it with other people who go through the same thing.”

Mental Health FC was founded by Ryan Oldfield, 33, after he realised how difficult it was to organise a get-together with his friends.

As Mr Oldfield already had experience in running non-profit organisations and the overwhelming response he had from his social media posts about friendly matches, he decided to start a permanent football club. 

He explained that he has seen a variety of positive changes since starting the club, such as many people being able to build their confidence and find new friends through sport.

A local teacher, Olly Boldy, 29, enjoys being able to “let off a bit of steam” after dealing with long nights at work. He said: It’s encouraging lads to speak. After playing we go for a drink and everyone is encouraged to talk.”

The club is hoping to expand by putting on fundraising events for families to get involved in sports and extra sessions to suit everyone’s schedule. They would also like to put on social gatherings for members to make friends.

Mr Oldfield said: “We’re looking to build the relationships and friendships of people outside of football and be able to have more of a chat.

“The more people we can reach and help, the better.” 

You can find out more information about the club and how to get involved here.