About MATES FC

MATES FC is a community football club, run by a community, for a community.

We have created a football team that will change every game we play depending who is feeling strong enough to play on that date, but unlike any other team we want NO COMMITMENT.

Using the beautiful game to battle mental ill health

Our goal is not about being the best team in a league or about getting the best players for the team...

Our goal is to get people back into football and use the beautiful game as a weapon to fight Depression, Anxiety and any other mental health issue that we can.

Mental ill health strips away passion, enthusiasm, love, sleep and confidence in yourself and your skills... skills you may have built up over many years. It makes you feel devoid of feeling all together. It can lead to isolation and may have led to all joy being sapped from your life.

Now imagine that. Feeling like that and being committed to a football team where no matter how you feel, you have to go and play, but with no passion, no drive, no enthusiasm, confidence or sleep. It leads you to dread it and not play at the level you feel you should be at. Then you beat yourself up because you feel you’ve let the team down, and finally you quit or get dropped...

That’s where we come in!

One game at a time

We aren’t about leagues or cups...

We are about grassroots football and putting the fun back into people’s lives, reigniting that passion and making you believe in yourself and your skills again, one game at a time.

You coming out of the house, getting those boots back on is winning. Getting on that pitch again and getting that feeling back of playing as one team is winning. That thrill of scoring is winning.

A team of MATES, Run by MATES

Each game we play, our team(s) will be made up of our online MATES Mental Health awareness community or people who want to raise awareness. We want to build people back up after mental ill health has kicked them down and we will do all we can to build up that friendly, supportive group of friends around you that you lost when you stopped playing football because of mental ill health.

The team is also run by a specific group of MATES Positive Mental Health Ambassadors with an unrivaled wealth of football experience between them. They have or are having Minds: Mental health awareness in sport and physical activity training as well as other relevant training.

In turn, our Ambassadors use their skills and knowledge to give our bespoke free presentations on awareness to any football team that would like us to attend, contact us if you’d like us to deliver a session.

MATES FC is now an England Football Accredited Club!

MATES FC Thursday Training

Weekly football fitness sessions that anyone over 18 can attend for free. All abilities welcome and play for as long or as little as you fancy.

Click on the image below to learn more!

Run by Football Fitness Club...

MATES x Football Fitness Club

MATES FC weekly football training sessions are held by our partners at Football Fitness Club who are trained in our approach to restoring positive mental health to people through football.

Click the image above to learn more about Football Fitness Club

MATES FC and CALM

MATES FC is also registered with the CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) Football Collective, and we proudly have their blue badges on our kits. We get to be part of this incredible movement and have access to the education, guidance and resources that CALM promote and create.

We will follow and build on the approach taken by Mind, CALM and Heads Up to get the best help and support for our community through football.

Active Essex - Find Your Active

MATES FC is part of Active Essex brilliant campaign to Find Your Active. Find Your Active celebrates the fact that everyone can enjoy the huge benefits of moving more - it's just about finding what is right for you. When it comes to getting active, we know that finding the right activity greatly increases your chances of creating a new, sustainable, healthy habit.

So, whether it's getting out in the garden, a short walk, a social bike ride, some light stretching, a friendly game of football or a visit to your local leisure centre, the benefits of increasing daily movement will soon show, and have a really positive impact on your health and wellbeing.

Find Your Active shines a light on all of the different ways and opportunities to get moving around Essex, Southend and Thurrock. You may need support or encouragement to get active, which is why Find Your Active is encouraging every community to have an ambassador to champion movement and help you find the activity that is right for you.

Together we CAN and WILL do all that we can to get you back in the game and get those golden days and skills and community you were proud of, back into your life.

Have a team and want to play us?

We can play as an 11-a-side team, or a few 5/6-a-side teams. We want to play in 5/6 a side tournaments or 11-a-side friendlies. So if you have an office team, a pub team, a charity tournament, etc.... We want in!