At Grimsby Town we know the role we can play in supporting mental health – especially in men who may be struggling
in the 70s and early 80s. Certainly not many that were ‘emotionally available’. Like many places, the town was beginning the painful transition from old industrial jobs to the service economy, a fitful process and one that remains incomplete. It meant the men in our lives had worked at sea, on docks and in factories that most of us never would.reflecting on the kind of masculinity shaped by the harsh working environment of fishing trawlers, mining or steel mills.
Over Christmas, I read Andrew O’Hagan’s book Mayflies before watching the TV adaptation. Both versions really touched me. The main theme was male friendship and love over time against the aforementioned industrial decline. It made me reflect on the role football, alongside music, plays as a primary driver of memories and opportunities to forge deep connections and relationships, particularly for men.
I was struck by the physical affection of the main characters in the TV adaptation. The characters’ shared experience of music replicated my experience of watching football. In my memory it was part of the only way men would be demonstrative with each other. The moments of ecstasy and abandon when a goal is scored or the final whistle declaring a result going your way.
We are social creatures, driven by the need for attachment and relationships, which are proven to be the key drivers of happiness in people’s lives. On a personal level it feels that physical displays of affection gradually started to find a place in our lives in the 90s.
The effects of this societal narrative are becoming clearer for men my age and we are much more aware of the challenges of mental health. We have made great strides in acknowledging the daily struggles for some people. At Grimsby Town FC we have partnered with the mental health organisationThe rainbow laces campaign is part of the EFL’s drive to make football more inclusive.We know that men between the ages of 35-50, living alone and unemployed are at highest risk of taking their own lives.
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