Here in December 2024, 1 in 7 adults in the UK have reported that their mental health was either bad or THE worst it has ever been. But is there anything that non-league football can do to improve your mental health? I’ve picked three activities which I think anyone can do and at the same time will induce endorphins to combat a number of mental health issues as well as help your local football club of course.
Volunteers are the backbone of non-league football, and they ensure that the small football club in the village or town where you live, runs smoothly and essentially returns season after season. It is estimated that there are between 350k-450k individuals who regularly dedicate their time each week to support the 37,000 football clubs across the UK.
Now, when I talk about football and mental health, most people think of the physical benefits of simply being active. But if you’re like me, where you hung up your boots during the last ice age, have knees that are as weak as a bridge made of straw, and a back that aches just thinking about kicking a ball, I’m not talking about playing football.
I’m talking about being behind the scenes, in roles that make a football club tick. Performing activities like writing match reports, taking some match photos or maybe pulling together appearance data or other stats. These activities aren’t just fun, they’re actually tools for boosting a huge array of positive thoughts and feelings.
I’m also going to jump into the psychology behind these specific activities. Now there are a lot more activities and actions I can mention, but I’ll stick with these three for the purpose of this video.
What happens in your brain when you’re fully immersed in writing or photography? Why does keeping track of stats feel so satisfying? And how does being part of a football community transform a sense of isolation and loneliness into connection?
Football and the Need for Connection
So let’s kick things off with something I’ve just mentioned, connection. One of the most basic human needs is the feeling of belonging, and football offers that in bucket loads. Psychologists often reference Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which places belonging right after physical safety
When you’re part of a football club, whether as a fan on the terraces or being more involved as a volunteer or a contributor, you’re connecting with people who share your passion. On average, in 2024, 8% of adults in the UK suffer with loneliness, that’s just under 4million people. In 2019, prior to the lockdowns, that figure was just over 3million. We can see, both the impact the lockdowns have had, AND how we’re nowhere near returning to the pre-pandemic levels in any time soon.
This sense of connection is a powerful antidote to loneliness and isolation, which, by the way, are two of the biggest contributors to mental health struggles like anxiety and depression.
Here’s a quick stat to back that up. According to a study by the Mental Health Foundation, people who feel isolated are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression. But when you engage in a shared activity or passion—like football—you create bonds that protect your mental health. It’s not just about watching a game anymore; it’s about being part of something bigger than yourself.”
I’m going to be open and honest now. I suffer with my own mental health. I have a full time job which is stressful enough, and I lost my father a short while ago which impacted me in ways I never thought it could. I also volunteer at a local football club.
I’m not going to delve into my own situation, suffice to say, I AM the proof of the thoughts and feelings I am talking about today!
So as a volunteer, I maintain our social media platforms, take photographs, update stats and I help with the matchday programme. I do all three of the example activities I have suggested. I am an avid landscape and football photographer and at the time of joining the club about 7 or 8 years ago now, I just wanted to help out with a few photo’s. When things got more stressful, where I was getting more anxious sometimes being hit with bouts of depression, I wanted to do more things to keep my mind busy and promote those positive feelings, to mitigate how bad or negative I was feeling at the time. This only increased after the death of my father.
Saturday’s, now, can’t come soon enough because of the people I have met. They are honestly like a second family. That is the magic of football, it brings people together, at all levels especially at non-league, where you can be closer to the team, moreso than with any professional club where getting a foot through the door is so much harder.
The Therapeutic Power of Match Report Writing
Let’s talk about the first item on my list which I think is probably the easiest to get involved with, writing match reports. This might seem like just putting pen to paper—or fingers to keyboard—but it’s so much more than that. Writing is a therapeutic exercise, ask any author, there’s plenty of research to back this up.
One such piece is Dr. James Pennebaker, a prominent American social psychologist, who found that expressive writing helps people process emotions and reduce stress. Pennebaker states that “expressive writing promotes emotional healing, mental clarity, and an overall sense of well-being”
So when you’re writing about a match—whether it’s celebrating a win or analysing a loss—you’re doing more than documenting events from the match. You’re organizing your thoughts and making sense of your emotions, putting this into a report that tells a story; from the build up of the match, right the way through the 90 minutes until you’re packed up and in the car after the game.
I started writing simply because I enjoy it, but it’s my way of decompressing after a long week. Even if the match didn’t go well, and there is nothing worse than returning home after a loss, writing helps me focus on the positives—what the team did right, the effort, the chances created, and expressing that in a report that others can read and immerse themselves in. My experience shows how writing can help shift your perspective, even in really challenging times.
And let’s not forget the confidence boost. When you share your reports, whether on social media or directly with the team, you’re contributing something that is meaningful.
People engage with your work, share their thoughts, and importantly, appreciate your effort. That kind of validation does wonders for your self-esteem.
Have you ever thought about writing your own match reports? Even if you don’t share them, just give it a go. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how good it feels to get your thoughts out and onto paper. Initially I thought it was like going back to school and having to write an essay, but you can be brief or as in-depth as you like, yet that sense of accomplishment when it is finished is actually quite a nice feeling.
Stats and the Joy of Analytical Thinking
This one’s for you number lovers out there.
Now this may just seem like numbers, numbers and more numbers, but this is much more than that. Just like match reports and photography, numbers also tell a story, and in football, it is about uncovering the trends, patterns, and performances that shape a match and the club. Keeping appearance stats, for example, builds something that players can look back on and it’s never too late to start something like that, especially at the start of a season.
Engaging in anything analytical activates the brain’s problem-solving centers. It’s challenging, rewarding, and engaging. And when your brain is focused on something constructive, it has less room for those negative thoughts.
I pulled together all of my non-league club’s results from 2002 onwards, including starting lineups, subs, goals and cards, and it actually ended up contributing to the club’s historical website. I love how the stats I pulled together bring our players of yesteryear to life, the games they took part in, the total number of appearances they made or goals they scored. Breaking down the numbers gave me a sense of purpose and by maintaining these, still keeps me mentally sharp. Even these small activities can have a big impact on how you feel!!
We can’t forget the social aspect from this activity either. Sharing this information provides good talking points over a pint in the clubhouse after a game and promotes a sense of pride and recognition. All of a sudden, you’re no longer just a spectator, you’ve become a contributor to the club!
Photography and the Mind-Body Connection
Finally, we shift our focus (pardon the pun)—to football photography and probably the hardest of the three activities to take up, but once you do, I guarantee you won’t look back.
Photography is one of the most mindful activities you can engage in and one that I’ve been doing for over 20 years, not wholly within football that is. It forces you to be present in the moment, paying attention to details that most people might miss. And this is what sets it apart from ALL of the other activities you CAN get involved with at non-league level.
Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of a (MBSR) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, defines mindfulness as ‘paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.’ When you’re photographing, capturing, a match, you’re completely immersed in the now—tracking the ball, the players, maybe even the supporters. His approach emphasizes the awareness of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations to capture a greater sense of clarity and emotional balance. Behind the lens, you’re thinking of one thing, getting that picture to continue telling the story of the game. You don’t have words, so the pictures have to tell the story, from the facial expressions, celebrations and of course the dreaded emotions from a red card. You’re thinking of where the camera needs to be focused by following the game and pre-empting the gameplay.
Psychologists call this a ‘flow state,’. This is a mental state where someone is completely absorbed in a task or activity, and doesn’t think much about themselves or their performance. This is known to reduce stress and actually induces a sense of happiness.
As a photographer myself, who has photographed at numerous professional and amateur football clubs, when I’m behind the camera, everything else does seem to disappear—work stress, personal problems—it’s just me and that game in front of me. Photography has been my biggest therapy.’
Add to this, sharing your photo’s and the sense of joy and achievement that this brings. Whether it’s your players reposting your shots or even the opposing team, photography creates connections that reinforce your sense of value and belonging.
Next time you’re at a match, grab your phone or camera and start snapping. Even if you’re new to photography, it’s a great way to engage with the game on a deeper level. Modern mobiles have superb camera’s and there is a lot you can do with them, but if you wanted to take it one step further, you’d need a DSLR and a lens, but this is obviously that little bit more expensive, and probably makes this THE most expensive of the three volunteer activities I’m talking about today.
Bringing It All Together
So, what’s the common theme? Whether you have a pen in your hand or a camera, these examples of volunteer activities can easily become more than just hobbies.
They’re tools that you can use to improve how you think, feel, and behave to how you handle stress, relate and communicate to others, and make decisions. Everything relatable to mental wellbeing.
They help you connect with others, focus your mind, and give you a sense of accomplishment. Adding these up give us what we need in order to thrive in life, it is just about taking the small steps to get there.
Writing helps you process emotions and gain perspective.
Photography immerses you in the moment and connects you with others through the medium of imagery.
Creating stats and working with numbers challenges your brain and gives you a sense of purpose.
Together, just these activities show how football is so much more than just a game that you can go and watch, it’s a means to be part of something, and a way to, unconsciously, take care for yourself. And it’s not just football, you can do the same in any sport, but I’m talking about football because it’s where you’ll find me on a Saturday afternoon during the season!!
Now my challenge for you is simple: Go and get involved. Find something that excites you or that you feel you could get interested in, and take that first step. Pop down to your local football club and see if you can get involved in that interest FOR THEM. You’ll be contributing to the club and they will appreciate you for it. You’ll be doing it for players who will appreciate you for it. AND, most importantly, you’re doing it for the good of your wellbeing.
Until next time, keep loving the game, take care of yourself!!
