AROUND 60 Suffolk New College students took part in a Mental Health Football Festival.

The students, aged between 16 and 19, took part in a series of seven-a-side matches at Goals in Ipswich on Tuesday on International Men’s Day as part of November’s Men’s Health Awareness Month.

The festival was played in silence as a way of showcasing and raising awareness of the loneliness faced by people who experience mental health struggles in everyday life, whilst feeling like they have no-one to talk to.

The event was the brainchild of Suffolk FA Football Development Officer Kirsty Smith, who organised it in conjunction with Suffolk New College and the 12th Man campaign, which was set up to help men talk about mental health.

Kirsty Smith said: “Raising awareness and starting those conversations around mental health is something which I am passionate about. Everyone has mental health, like we all have physical health, which is why it’s vital to create those environments and safe spaces where people can openly talk about things regularly that are important to them or that they are struggling with.

“Most of the media showcase mental health in a negative way, whereas we want to change the narrative on that and show it in a positive light. Communication is a very important tool within football and in life, which is why we thought eliminating this we could show the students what people go through when they feel like they have no-one to talk to, how frustrating that can be and the impact that can then have on their lives.

“This is the first time we as a County FA have ever delivered a project like this and it has been a huge success. Working with and educating the youth of today is important as they are the ones who will drive this forward and create the change in cultures and mindsets of society in the future.

“A huge thank you to Suffolk New College, their students and the 12th Man for their collaboration and bringing my idea to life – hopefully this is the first of many mental health projects we can deliver.”

Suffolk New College students (above and main photograph) participate in the Mental Health Football Festival at Goals in Ipswich.

Suffolk New College sports lecturer Matt Oldfield said: “We organised the event as one of the units on the BTEC Sports Coaching Course is to put on an event such as this.

“The students have looked at events such as the Olympics and a Half Marathon to see what goes into organising them and then used that information to put together this event.

“They have done all the marketing around the event, the sign-up form and are refereeing the matches as well.

“As well as the academic side they will hopefully go into the sports industry where they may be involved in organising events and know the importance of linking into Mental Health.

“Today’s event also gives 12th Man a great opportunity to come and talk to the students about their work.”

Nick Little, founder of 12th man, and team member Corrinne Ainsworth gave a presentation to the students themed ‘Change the Record’ after they had finished playing.

Different records played in the background while discussions on Mental Health took place.

Nick said of the event: “I think it was a great idea. We have known Kirsty for a few years through doing Mental Health First Aid Training during lockdown and have formed strong links with Suffolk FA.

“As a football supporter you make a lifelong commitment to a team, and you never give up on them and that is what we want men to do with their Mental Health, so they can keep going for the rest of their lives.

“Mental Health is a part of everybody’s lives and is continually present – it is with us every second of our daily lives.

“You can put on a film or listen to a favourite record, and it lifts your mood, but Mental Health is something people only give thought to when things are not going so well.

“Hopefully when these students reach my age and are in their early forties, they accept it is part of their everyday life and that is what we are going to be talking about today.

“We need to stop talking about problems and talk about finding solutions.”

Immy and Toby were two the students who helped to organise the event.

Immy said: “It has been really good to get involved with organising the event. We both enjoy the course, and it has been good to get lots of people involved to turn up to play.”

Toby said: “We were expecting three or four teams, but we have got six playing which is around 50 players in total.

“They have struggled with not being able to talk whilst playing and have been clapping and clicking their fingers, so we have had to stop them from doing that!”

Dan, who was one of the players taking part, said: “It has been quite difficult playing as we have found ourselves getting in each other’s way!

“I think we have recognised just how hard it is when you don’t talk to each other.”