Football and Mental Health: The Pitch as a Lifeline
PROVIDED BY: Christian Obray
Football - some say “it’s just a game” but those of us who love the sport know it is more than that, and for some it can quite literally be the difference between life and death.
Some of you may think that statement is an exaggeration…it’s not and I’m going to show you right now why.
I’d like to rewind the clock now to 2020…the year the whole planet went to shit. The Covid pandemic was something which is once in a generation (I hope so anyway) and looking back now a lot of it feels so surreal and otherworldly, a truly scary and confusing time to live through.
Now one of the repercussions of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns was the cessation of many of life’s luxuries and general ‘normal’ activities.
Part of this was all live sport, including our beloved football!
So…no football at all and for the most part completely confined to our own 4 walls, times were hard for a lot of people, especially anyone who was living alone.
I know how much I missed football in general but I wanted to hear from someone that missed more than just the 11 v 11, so I reached out to a friend who had this to say:
“Sometimes when you're struggling with mental health issues, knowing you only have a few days until you can forget about the problems and focus on just the match is crucial. I find friends at football don't judge you on what happens outside, its all about the then and now, that's not to say that they wouldn't help if needed, so when I think about what the biggest part of no football through Covid was, it wasn't no football it was the removal of that support network you have whilst you are at the game, that combined with nothing to look forward to can definitely set you back.”
Danny Roche, Chatham Town Fan
COVID of course took many lives and conspiracy theories aside the pandemic was life changing for many for a multitude of reasons. Now footballs genuine real life importance was known to many but not all, well one of the huge things that Covid did do was reinforce to everyone just how vital a matchday can be for someone who is suffering with their mental health. This is especially the case in men who statistically make up 80% of all suicides that are carried out.
So why did it take a pandemic for people to realise this and what is it specifically that resonates with people? Well this is the part where I tell you exactly that!
Reason 1 – Structure
Now the great thing about Non-League football in particular is that it has retained for the most part the traditional 3pm kick-off on a Saturday. This is what many see as the ‘proper’ time for football to be played, the really good thing about this is that you can plan ahead in the knowledge that only bad weather is likely to change the date and not the pesky TV companies… The other lesser known or maybe less spoken about is that this also gives football fans structure, something which some people simply don’t have without football. Everybody needs structure in their lives, without structure you can feel lost and without direction, it can also lead to anxiety and a general lack of wellness.
Reason 2 - Social
“So what team do you follow then?” How many of you reading this has used this question when meeting someone new? My guess would be nearly all of you. Football or sport in general is the ultimate ice breaker and social tool used by men, it is comfortable and feels like a safe space to open dialogue with.
Why is that?
Well one of the main reasons is it highly likely that the other person is going to share some level of interest or knowledge about the game, making it a natural topic for starting conversation, starting conversations can be something that men can find difficult due to many not wanting to make themselves vulnerable and open up their emotions.
Then if you look at the social aspect of a match day itself, for many it is the main reason that they actually go in the first place, this is especially so for an away game as these can provide the opportunity to spend a prolonged time with people you like and care for and enjoy a shared experience.
A football game allows people to talk and offload in a way that they might not feel comfortable to do so otherwise, the match is a safe space and one of the key locations that men especially feel comfortable to open emotionally.
Reason 3 - Escapism
There are very few places around now where you can go and completely switch off from the noise that is life. Football is one of those remaining spaces which allows many people to forget about what is going on in the rest of their lives off for 90 minutes.
You see this replicated all over the world, there are countless videos of people who are suffering all manner of trauma and heartache that come alive when watching or playing football. There is a magnetic charm between us and the sport that is a force for good - to prove this point you can also look at what has recently happened in the NHS with a brand new pilot scheme coming into play.
Football tickets will be made available on prescription to help treat symptoms of depression, under a pilot scheme.
This is the first scheme of its kind and I think it speaks volume about just how much of a positive impact football can have on people.
Final Thoughts
Now next time someone says to you that football is just a game, you can hand on heart tell them why they are categorically wrong. Anything that allows someone the space and opportunity to feel less alone in the world and also provides a safe place to go week in, week out with the people they love cant be defined as ‘just a game’ There is an old saying that “Nothing in life is perfect’ Well, that might be true, but football comes just about as close to it as you can get.