Fathers United is a football club based in and around Croydon that aims to raise awareness of mental health illnesses among men.
The idea originated from founder of Lenses of Croydon, Lee Townsend and Thomas Scannell, brother of a former crystal palace player.
Together they have begun running friendly matches every Sunday morning to promote mental health awareness.
These friendly matches take place at 9am at Goals in Croydon, a company that lets people hire pitches to play small scale football matches.
For a brief period, the National Lottery funded Fathers United, allowing them to hire a pitch at Goals every Sunday and provided a kit for the team.
The National Lottery are no longer funding the club, leaving members to pay £5 each to help hire the pitch, though Fathers United are looking to be sponsored again.
Being a useful tool for releasing stress whilst exercising, the club has both mental and physical benefits for players.
Lee Townsend told ELL: “It’s about getting that stress out of your system and lifting your spirit. For some people you get caught up in that stress, the challenges we are facing, the oppression for some, just winning a game can be so significant and uplifting.”
From beginners to the well-trained, Fathers United welcomes men of all ages and fitness levels, but if you are under eighteen it is necessary to come with a chaperone.
The focal point of the club may be football, but the club also provides a time out of the week for many men to talk to one another or the team’s creators about any challenges they might be facing in life.
Often at the start of each session, Lee chooses a topic related to mental health to give any members of the team a chance to openly talk about what they may be going through or to just listen to others.
Fathers United runs activities beyond the pitch – They often go for breakfast or to a pub/restaurant for a soft drink after a game of football to bond, talk and socialize with one another.
Lee told ELL: “We also have speakers come visit from time to time, sometimes motivational, sometimes practical, sometimes someone just telling their life story.”
The club has played friendly matches against other mental health clubs in London such as the Super-Dads and Saving Souls FC.
The club also supported Saving Souls FC by helping them raise £201.97 in a charity match as part of World’s Biggest Coffee Morning fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support earlier this year.
Along with Saving Souls, Fathers United will be putting on football competition in spring to raise awareness for suicide amongst men.
Fathers United launched in the summer this year and plans to expand their club. Alongside hiring a manager for the team, the club is planning to increase the days they meet up throughout the week.
One of the club’s future goals is to enter the Grassroots Football League.
Thomas told ELL: “I chose football as I had a lot of experience with the sport, as one of my brothers is a retired professional football player and the other continues to play professionally.”
“During lockdown I was clinically obese and managed to lose weight and overcome this obstacle, I saw what that did for my mental, physical and spiritual health and wanted to help other fathers do the same as well as provide a place for men to talk.”
Outside of Fathers United, Thomas runs a programme to help fathers lose weight and educate them on how to live a healthier lifestyle.
Fathers United provides an important space which combines mental and physical health in a supportive and inclusive environment. If you are interested, please reach out one of the founders or if you have a free Sunday go along and get a taste for what it’s like.
