Has football become the frontline for the male loneliness crisis?
Can the beautiful game be a vital tool to combat this rising issue?
Across the UK on any given day millions of men filter into sports centres and community football pitches to participate in this nation’s favourite sport, the beautiful game of football. However, over the past few years this ritual, partaken in by many, including myself, has taken up a more important role than a friendly kickabout to combat the rising levels of loneliness seen in men of all ages.
According to government figures from last year, 25% of boys aged 11-16 feel lonely sometimes, always or often, and 27% of men aged 16-24 feel lonely sometimes, always or often. To help combat this, many charities and groups have looked to fill the void, putting emphasis on sports to help curb this crisis.
One such group is Football for All; they’re a non-profit organisation organising casual football games for everyone across the country. Their mission is to have a kickabout in every single local authority across the UK. I sat down with Jack Bies, Community Impact Lead for Football for All, to talk about men’s mental health and how football can help:
As Jack mentions, His organization and others do amazing work to tackle men’s mental health, but recently the government decided to intervene with the launch of there week-long Team Up campaign this January. According to the government, the purpose of the week is to tackle male loneliness using the power of sport and to promote social connection, and highlight support for men’s mental health.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said when the campaign was launched :
“Too many of our young men are facing loneliness and struggle in silence, not sure where to turn. This has a serious impact on their mental health and on the communities we all share. By coming together we can use the power of sport to reach young men, hold on to them, provide them with positive activities and support them with their mental health.
“Through local clubs, programmes, and support networks, we can challenge the stigma and show young men that there is a whole community behind them.”
Jack Bies, of Football for All, on the campaign:
“The government’s Team Up campaign has recognised the growing problem of male loneliness. Many men struggle to build new friendships as they get older, especially after moving areas, changing jobs or leaving education.
“Weekly football games give people a simple reason to get out of the house and connect with others. People can come on their own and join a mixed group, and within a few games they start recognising the same faces. Conversations that begin with football often turn into real friendships off the pitch.
“Regular weekly games also create routine. For many players it becomes the highlight of their week. It is a space where people can switch off from work, have a laugh and feel part of something. Over time that sense of belonging helps improve confidence, wellbeing and social connection. When men take part in activities together, conversations and support often follow naturally.
“Initiatives like Team Up help bring national attention to the issue, but community programmes are where the day-to-day impact happens. Local football sessions give people a consistent place to meet others, build friendships and stay active.
“When national awareness and local opportunities work together, it becomes much easier for men to take that first step and feel part of a community again.”
As the Team Up week shows, many organisations and charities are willing to work with the government to provide a service across the UK.
This rise in support from both the government and charity groups shows a willingness to tackle this crisis head-on. This new emphasis on sports as a vehicle for mental health support is backed by real data; according to a paper in the British Medical Journal, in 2023 it was found that physical activity is highly effective for reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological stress. This is something that Football for All says football should of been included within the new NHS community health framework that was published in March of this year.
The Office for National Statistics outlines that younger adults were more likely to report feeling lonely often, always or some of the time (27% of those aged 16 to 29 years and 28% of those aged 30 to 49 years), compared with older adults. When we view these stats alongside an already stretched feeling that young men are being influenced by ‘toxic influencers’, as former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate warned. This is something that many organisations have picked up on after the newfound attention generated after Netflix’s mini-series Adolescence.
Alongside both the governments’ Team Up initiative and the many charities like Football For All tackling the male loneliness crisis, there still lies a huge gap without a long-term government strategy to work with local communities, sports clubs and charities to produce a real strategy backed by research and statistics to stop this crisis getting any worse.