Mental Health Football (MHF) is held every Friday night on the outdoor 3G pitch from 7pm – 8pm at The Hathershaw College, Bellfield Avenue, Oldham OL8 3EP. The session is open to men and women of all ages and abilities. We have attendees who have never played football before, and others who’ve played previously and have missed being part of a team. The aim of MHF is to help improve attendees menta
l health using physical activity and peer support, in a friendly, easy going atmosphere. Mental Health Football is a pressure and judgement free environment where attendees can just turn up and play, or watch and have a chat with a great group of friendly, welcoming people. There are no expectations, no score-lines, no winners or losers, just players. No sign up or commitment is necessary. MHF was founded in 2019 by AFC Oldham's First Team Managers, Ross Elliott and Andy Steel. It went on to win ‘Initiative of the Year Award’ at the Oldham Sports Awards, followed by the runners-up spot at The North West Sports Awards. In August 2021 Manchester FA announced MHF as their ‘Grassroots Project of The Year Award’ winners. To help raise awareness and to have fun, the group enjoy the occasional friendly against similar initiatives and like-minded projects. In 2023, MHF proudly announced that six volunteers completed their training to become qualified Mental Health First Aiders. If you’d like to get involved with MHF as an attendee or volunteer, please send us a message at: [email protected] or follow our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
