Walking football tournament tackles mental health
Teams from across Northern Ireland have gathered in Newtownards for a Walking Football tournament aimed at increasing physical fitness and improving mental wellbeing.
Now in its second year, the tournament organised by Glen Men’s Walking Football has benefitted from a Community Involvement Grant worth £3,042.98 from the Housing Executive.
Eileen Thompson, the Housing Executive’s Area Manager for Ards and North Down, said: “Getting men out together and engaged in sport, whilst also helping with their mental health, has been the main goal of this fantastic project.
“Teams were welcomed from Bangor, Ballymena, Ligoniel, Lisburn and Newtownards for the tournament, which received funding from the Housing Executive.
“With a range of teams from different areas it has really helped promote good cross-community engagement and cohesion.
“Alongside the tournament an information day was held with input from Ards Suicide Awareness, PSNI and Inspire Mental Health. A stall providing vital information about prostate cancer was also included.
“Bringing all these organisations together helped create an event promoting good physical and mental health for the players involved.”
Billy Tate, Assistant Treasurer at Glen Men’s Walking Football added: “Walking football is a great way to increase fitness, especially for anyone with injuries that may have stopped them from exercising.
“Playing at a walking pace means people of all ages and fitness levels can take part.
“Our team has been going for nearly 10 years and we’ve seen the many ways the sport benefits our members.
“Getting together and being part of a team is not only great for physical health but it has been a real boost for our player’s mental health too.
“We wanted to organise a tournament to celebrate the sport and this event has brought men of all ages and communities together.
“Inviting organisations like Ards Suicide Awareness and Inspire Mental Health to put up information stalls also meant help and information was easily available.
“We’re also using the funding from the Housing Executive to organise social outings for players, including fishing trips, which is helping further combat social isolation for our players.
“Funding from the Housing Executive has allowed our team to continue to benefit from better physical and mental health.”