FC United of Manchester FC United of Manchester FC United of Manchester Badge FC United of Manchester Pitch In

Mental Health Football at Ordsall Fit City

Mental Health Football at Ordsall Fit City

The Mental Health Football project is an ongoing community health session that FC United have been supporting on a regular basis every Friday throughout 2012.

Average attendance is around 25/30 every week regardless of the weather (sessions are outside on the 3g pitch) at Ordsall Fit City.

The participants are all enthusiastic people who are Adults, ranging from teenagers to players in their late 40s early 50s, so a very wide spectrum of ages and all are recovering, in some way or other, from Mental Health issues/conditions and who turn up to play in literally all conditions.

We have had Carlos Roca lead this session throughout our involvement, which has given considerable kudos to the session because of his place within the 1st team at FC United, helping to encourage and maintain numbers attending.

All who attend comment on the positive way in which being actively engaged in Coached football, allowing them to enhance their skills, and playing football, allowing them to improve both Physical and Mental Health is benefitting them.

They all see it helping them build confidence in themselves (something that suffering mental health problems impacts upon) as well as working in teams and socialising (as it is not just a football session, it is a group of friends coming together that they all look forward to) as well as feeling valued whilst most importantly enjoying football as their sport.

This is a real success story, with us working together with Salford Mental Health Services and is a session where we feel we are making a difference.

As well as this the users themselves feel - and comment freely on - the value of our involvement and enjoy and look forward to it as a key aspect of their week which is supporting their journey of recovery through difficult periods in their lives.

The social element to this is that, as the session has grown, there have been long term friendships established. The group has met every week for years with participants seeing it as a way for them to help others, even when their own Mental Health issue has been overcome they still come along to help others.

Our structured support has enhanced the quality of football coaching delivered and the experience they get from the session that is delivered.

The link between us as a club, and the Mental Health support unit, is Kevin Corran who is the lead coordinating officer at the Mental Health unit responsible for managing the group who attend. It was he who approached us, as the most appropriate, committed and reliable Community Football Club in Manchester.

We have delivered these supported sessions over most of this year, and it is a session we are fully committed to maintaining as one of our key community sessions.

Click here to view a short video on the project.


First Posted ~ 05:19 Thu 3 Dec 2020
News ID ~ 8930
Last Updated ~ 16:00 Fri 19 Feb 2021