In 2017 Peter Hill set up Place2Place FC, a five-a-side team in Wigan for men facing challenging circumstances. It followed the loss of his best friend to suicide in 2014. Two more friends took their lives in 2015 and 2016. “There was no initial plan. I was just looking for an outlet,” he says.
One team grew to two, then to 10, and eventually an entire division with the aim of ending the stigma surrounding male mental health. Now 12 teams and 80 players turn up at Winstanley Warriors in the heart of Wigan each Thursday to talk, to break the silence or simply to escape and play football. “It’s just a bit of five-a-side to congregate around,” says Hill. “We provide a safe environment for people to play football.”
Written by Finn Ranson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jan/04/football-league-mental-health-men-initiative-wigan under the title “‘It gave me a sense of normality’: how football helps men with mental health”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
