Community Partners
Active Essex
Active Essex not only arrange grants for us, for example they paid for our kits and Pitch hire, ref costs for September 21-March 22. But they also support us with advice and schemes that help us run and further expand the club. They paid for our Ambassadors to take the Mental Health Aider course and the Mind/Sport England Mental health in sports course.
Active Essex - Find Your Active
MATES FC Director Dave Chase is an Ambassador for Active Essex - Find Your Active. Find Your Active is a campaign by Active Essex to encourage people to find the activity that suits them.
Football Fitness Club, MATES FC Training and MATES FC Saturdays are all listed with Find Your Active to help people get active. By having an Ambassador, it has also allowed us to get funding for a block of our training session pitch hire!
CALM
The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide.
Frontline services: Anyone can hit crisis point. We run a free and confidential helpline and webchat – 7 hours a day, 7 days a week for anyone who needs to talk about life’s problems. We support those bereaved by suicide, through the Support After Suicide Partnership (SASP).
Communities: Together we’ll help our boys, our dads, our mums, brothers, sisters, friends and colleagues. We spread our message and facilitate supportive spaces in workplaces, universities, pubs, clubs and prisons across the country – so that people feel empowered to share their experiences and get the help they need before they reach the point of crisis.
Campaigns: Everyone has a part to play. We campaign with media partners, brands and ambassadors to spread awareness of suicide and its devastating impact with campaigns like #Project84, #DontBottleItUp and The Best Man Project. We challenge boring male stereotypes and encourage positive behavioural change and help-seeking behaviour, using cultural touch points like art, music, sport and comedy.
What is the CALM Football Collective?
The CALM Football Collective brings together people who love the beautiful game, both playing it and watching it. It’s about positivity, generosity and reinforcement on and off the pitch. It’s for the fans. It’s for the players. It’s for football communities across the UK.
Remember, our MATES Ambassadors and our team/s on that day are not only representing the MATES brand and company, we are also representing The CALM Football Collective which we are honoured and fortunate to be working with to improve people’s lives through Football. We wear our blue CALM badges with pride.
Livewell
Livewell is a collaboration from all 13 local Essex Authorities to promote healthy messages and support everyone in Essex to help improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
Our MATES FC sessions are listed as events on their website along with our MATES events for mental wellbeing.
The Bridge Academy Trust
Moulsham School is run by The Bridge Academy Trust and we use their main pitch for our Saturday team games.
Football Fitness Club
Football Fitness Club was set up to provide an alternative to the gym, fitness with a ball at your feet. Their Coaches volunteer for free to coach and run our matches and steer, direct and assist us with every aspect of running the club from paperwork to what we can have on our kit.
Grassroots Magazine
You can read more about MATES FC and other grassroots football clubs in the brilliant local grassroots magazine. Grassroots magazine is all about our local football in Essex, produced by people passionate about the local game. If you or your club or company would like to be featured or advertised in this magazine, click on the image beside to visit their website.
Baddow Spartak FC
During the 21/22 season, Baddow Spartak kindly allowed us to use their home pitch and facilities for MATES FC Sundays.
Chelmsford Osteopaths
Michael Snell is a great friend of the club and great Osteopath. Chelmsford Osteopaths specialise in musculoskeletal pain - back pain, neck pain, nerve pain, sciatica, migraines, joint pain, sports injuries and more.
Call or book online today: (osteopathy and massage only £45)
T: 01245 526323
Chelmsford Physio
Jon McComish is a good friend of MATES FC and a great supporter of what we do. He is without fail the best Physio in the area. We selected Chelmsford Physio as having known Jon for 20+ years I know he is a trustworthy and brilliant human whose heart is in getting you better and wherever possible, back better than you were before. His team at Chelmsford Physio all have this goal.
MATES FC players can get a discounted initial consultation then a discount on all sessions. Phone or message and mention you were sent from MATES FC.
The Gardeners Pub
The Gardeners in Chelmsford is run by one of our MATES FC Ambassadors-Lee Prile.
Together we have created the first MATES PubHub which is a safe space for people with mental ill health and a place that contains resource and signposting for mental health groups and professionals. It is also where our weekly MATES mental health and wellbeing drop ins happen, as well as other planned events such as MATESfest.
It is also the home of MATES FC and the MATES Golf Society
The FA / Essex County FA
The FA make the national rules and agenda and Essex FA abide by them and have local adjustments to procedures to fit Essex. They are our go to for advice and assistance and have been an incredible support to us in our first year. We look forward to working with them and piloting schemes with them to use football to improve mental health.
