Mental Health and Finding Your Space - What I think TeamKickabout is all about...

I've managed TeamKickabout for years now. It's completely non-competitive social football running every night of the week at locations all over Lancashire to support mental health. It helps hundreds of people but it occurs to me that we rarely explain why it helps people in the way it does. So I thought I'd give it a go, or at least why it works for me.

Imagine it's a gray Tuesday, the kind where everything feels heavier than it should. Or a Wednesday that's just too much. Or those weekends that, ironically, you wish could end sooner. In these moments, there's something I look forward to - it's not just a game of football; it's my anchor, my escape, my moment of being utterly carefree. This is what TeamKickabout is all about.

You see, TeamKickabout isn't just about getting fit or playing a game. It goes far beyond that. It's about those subtle, yet profound, impacts that happen off the pitch. It's about creating a sense of belonging, a safe space where for an hour, the rest of the world fades away. Where you can let go of your worries, your stress, and just...be.

Every Monday at 9pm, or Wednesday at 8pm, or whichever day of the week you choose, it's more than just meeting up to kick a ball around. It's about meeting friends, some new, some old, and forgetting the world for a while. It's a time where you can feel young again, unburdened, even if just for a little while.

But it's not just the freedom and the fun of the game. Every kickabout is a step in building a support network. It's knowing that you are not alone in whatever you're facing. Every pass, every goal, every cheer is a reminder that you're part of something bigger, a community that's there for you, come what may.

This is why TeamKickabout exists. We've seen firsthand how transformative it can be. It's about more than physical health; it's about mental well-being. For many of us, it's a lifeline. That one hour a week is a scheduled promise to ourselves - a time to rejuvenate, to gather strength, to feel a part of a community that genuinely cares.

TeamKickabout is a testament to the power of simple things - a ball, a field, a group of people with a shared love for the game. It's where we've seen men smiling wider than they have in years, where burdens are lifted, even if momentarily, and where the love for the game becomes a gateway to something much deeper - a sense of camaraderie, of belonging, of healing.

It's not just about keeping fit or playing well. It's about having that 'anchor to your week', the thing you look forward to when everything else feels overwhelming. It's about knowing that there's a place where you can just be yourself, play the game you love, and in the process, find support, friendship, and a respite from the daily grind.

TeamKickabout is more than a football initiative; it's a movement. It's about bringing people together, not just to play a game, but to support each other in ways that are both obvious and subtle. We're here to remind each other that no matter how tough life gets, there's always a game to look forward to and a community to belong to.