Saturday (11th May) was one of those days that reminds me of why I started MHFC, and makes all the stress and anxiety of running MHFC worth it.
The buzz and good feeling I got personally from the people, and the day was unreal, that’s what I get from these experiences.
Hearing and reading quotes like…..
– “Dream come true”
– “Best day he had ever had”
– “He hasn’t stopped talking about it. It was also so nice for us to experience it as father and son”
– “In 35 years of following Rovers around the country, this was by far one of my favourite Rovers experiences. The fact that I was able to share this with my son is something that I will always be grateful to Ryan for. Oliver didn’t stop smiling all day, which made the pictures even better.”
– “It’s a pleasure to help and see the joy it can offer.”
It’s quite a long post, but I ask you to please read it all, and what was said by our guests about it, as it shows exactly what Mental Health FC is about, and that it’s more than just mental health kick about sessions, we also provide ‘dream’ and ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences.
Thanks again to Kev for supporting me throughout the day, it massively helps me relax and be able to enjoy the day and experience myself.
The group included….
Ethan and his Dad, Adrian – Ethan is a huge Rovers fan who follows them honestly and away when he can, he struggles with anxiety and has attended MHFC sessions.
They’d never have the experience of hospitality, and I knew the whole experience would be huge for Ethan.
Gary and his Son – Gary is a mental health nurse who has published articles about mental health and professional football.
He follows Rovers home and away, even though he’s never been to a MHFC session, he’s supported the project for over two years now and even bought our MHFC football shirt.
They’d not had a chance to have the hospitality experience, especially together.
Jordan – He’s a big supporter of DRFC and attends most home games, he also plays in MHFC sessions and supports the project.
Like the others, he’d never had the game day hospitality experience.
Kev and his Father-in-law – Kev helps me massively with MHFC Doncaster (He’s now the area lead for MHFC Doncaster) and also helps organise other MHFC Experiences to take the pressure off me, this time Kev was able to bring his Father-in-law along.
Please read the below to understand just what the experience meant to people.
ADRIAN SAID THE FOLLOWING….
“I would just like to thank everyone who made it possible for me and Ethan to go to the hospitality day at the Rovers ground. We got there at 12:30 and were met by Ryan and Kev, who were so helpful.
As a group, we went on a tour of the ground and even in the changing room, and to see and meet some of the players as they arrived and went on the pitch, I have never seen Ethan so happy.
We then went for the meal and a couple of drinks. The meal was so good, Ryan then announced that Ethan was going to take the match ball onto the pitch with him. Ethan was so excited, as he stood on the pitch with the players around him, ready to kick off and 7,500 Doncaster fans in the stadium, he said it was a dream come true.
After the day was finished, he said that it was the best day he had ever had. His signed program is in a frame in his bedroom. I would just like to thank everyone who made it possible for Ethan to have an amazing day. He hasn’t stopped talking about it. It was also so nice for me to have that father and son time.”
GARY SAID THE FOLLOWING….
“I was delighted to be invited by Ryan Oldfield, on behalf of Mental Health FC CIC, to be part of the matchball sponsor group at the Doncaster Rovers v Reading League One fixture. Ryan also generously invited my 15-year-old son, Oliver. Oliver and I are both lifelong Doncaster Rovers fans. I have been supporting Rovers and going regularly to watch them play since 1991, and Oliver has been coming with me since he was 4 years old. We are both aiming to visit all 92 EFL grounds watching Rovers play. Currently I am 76 EFL grounds, and Oliver is on nearly 60. This season, we have been fortunate (or unfortunate!) enough to attend every home and away league game this season. We have also attended the majority of cup games, including the Vertu Trophy. We have missed 4 cup games this season – Crewe in the FA Cup (due to holiday), Chesterfield in the FA Cup and Bradford in the Vertu Trophy due to illness, and Everton Under 21s due to work commitments.
Ryan and I have shared interests in football and mental health. I am a registered mental health nurse, although I now work in Higher Education. I completed a PhD based on Professional Football and Mental Health and have published academic articles based on this subject. I am also currently writing a book about football and mental health due to be published in 2027. I think that the work that Ryan has done to set up Mental Health FC CIC is fantastic. Exercise is a great way to look after your mental health, and what better way to do it then to play football. He has ensured that Mental Health FC is fun and inclusive and gives participants the opportunity to talk about their mental health. Too often men in particular hide their emotions and suffer in silence. Anything to change this mindset and encourage men to talk is a positive step forward. Ryan has deservedly won awards for Mental Health FC, and I am very supportive of this initiative – I regularly wear my Mental Health FC shirt with pride. It rightly generates conversations about football and mental health when I am asked about the shirt.
Receiving Ryan’s invitation to experience hospitality was too good to turn down. The stadium tour was a standout, with the visit to the changing room a particular highlight. It was also cool to see some of the first team players wander in while we were there and saying hello to a few of them. Jonathan Heath was excellent in facilitating the tour and was very entertaining.
Back in hospitality, the atmosphere was really good, and the food was excellent. I also had the bonus of seeing a lifelong friend who also happened to be in hospitality at the same time with his family.
Then came a moment that I didn’t expect. Oliver and I were invited to be part of the group to present the matchball to the referee on the pitch just before kick-off. We joined Ryan and Ethan and walked past the South Stand (where our season memberships are) before being readied by the brilliant Suzanne Utley.
Then our moment came – striding across the pitch as the officials and both sets of players followed behind us. Oliver commented that ‘it’s like being in a FIFA game’!
Rovers played well throughout the game and were deserved winners as they were clearly the better side. Captain fantastic scoring yet again to secure the three points. Although I was happy with the win it could, and should have been at least 3-0!
After fulltime, we returned to the hospitality lounge and relaxed with a drink whilst dissecting the game we had just watched.
As matchball sponsors, we had the privilege of meeting man of the match Robbie Gotts and having a group picture with him. As some of the first team players steadily joined the group, they mixed with fans and were happy to say hello and have their photo taken. Oliver and I took the opportunity to meet them and had some brilliant pictures with Gotts, Bailey, Sterry, Senior, Molyneux, and Clifton, to go with an earlier picture Oliver had with Middleton.
In 35 years of following Rovers around the country, this was by far one of my favourite Rovers experiences. The fact that I was able to share this with my son is something that I will always be grateful to Ryan for. Oliver didn’t stop smiling all day, which made the pictures even better.
I am looking forward to seeing what Mental Health FC do next! Thank you again Ryan!”
MHFC Doncaster area lead Kev, said the following about the experience….
“Saturday at Doncaster Rovers was another great opportunity for MHFC to offer people the opportunity they deserve. This helps with the strong community that playing football with MHFC delivers.
It’s a pleasure to help and see the joy it can offer.“
I must admit, taking the ball out for kick off was a crazy experience and one that I loved, it was like being in one of those classic Nike adverts when you’ve got a player’s POV.
Also, seeing the MHFC logo on the big screen underneath the club badges was a nice surprise and touch and something I didn’t expect!!
🙌 THANK YOU….
Thank you to SeatGeek for donating the sponsorship package and for ClubDoncaster for thinking of MHFC to donate it to.
You can see photos from the day in the social media post or blog post.
‘MHFC EXPERIENCES’ and ‘MHFC SURPRISES’ are something we hope to do more of in the future, it could be tickets to a game, hospitality, meet and greet, signed merch, stadium tour, football kit or equipment, or anything else we could sort for the MHFC community members or anyone else we hear about.
The more we can do for people, the better and give as many different people as many different opportunities and experiences as possible to give them a mental boost 🤞🙏
Maybe something they’ve never been able to attend before, but we can give them that opportunity 💚
‼️If anyone has any links or contacts to people at sports clubs that could help us provide these experiences, please get in touch 😊
You can read about previous MHFC Experiences here https://www.mentalhealthfc.org/category/mhfc-experiences/
You can read about previous MHFC Surprises here https://www.mentalhealthfc.org/category/mhfc-surprises/
If anyone or companies would like to support, donate to or sponsor MHFC please get in touch at hello@mentalhealthfc.org
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH FOOTBALL ⚽️💚
EVERYONE WELCOMED & SUPPORTED
#MHFC #MentalHealthFC #MentalHealthMatters
NATIONAL SPONSORS
