One of the most eagerly anticipated events from the Whitby school sporting calendar is being recreated this weekend when Lads, Dads and Grandads bring back the ‘Clash of the Schools’.
The founders of the group, set up just over a year ago to tackle men’s mental health issues, Steven (Sacky) Swales and James Dyson, will head up Eskdale and Caedmon teams respectively at a crunch match on Sunday.
They are calling on people to watch and support the game as Lads, Dads and Grandads (LDG) use football to bring men together to help tackle mental health struggles, form friendships and create a community.
They say now, it is needed more than ever.
Jordan Sneap, another founder, said: “This has made us feel the appetite for LDG and feel proud of what we have created.”
The concept of LDG started a year ago in Jordan’s living room thanks to a conversation between him and father-in-law Sacky, who played professional football for Reading, Hull, Halifax Town as well as Whitby Town.
Jordan said: “The week before Sacky had played football at the leisure centre to fill numbers in and we said we could get numbers just from our friends. He was the manager of his son’s football team, so got a few of those, my mates and my dad and we had a kick-about.
“We thought we would get people to come along, get out of the house and make something positive and it has gone from there.”
The name – Lads, Dads and Grandads – came about as Jordan is a dad, Sacky is a granddad and younger lads were playing too. Within two months the group outgrew the space they hired at the leisure centre and moved to the 3G pitch at Eskdale.
Each session costs £3 per player which goes into a kitty to pay for the pitch. Anything left over goes towards Christmas raffles, sponsoring and helping other local groups.
There are now 45 regular players, with more wanting to join. Teams take it in turns to play so there is always a team sitting out, creating a chance to chat.
And, you don’t even need to be good at football to join. Jordan said: “There are lads who want to play football but don’t want to play for a team, some are beginners and some are the best players in Whitby.”
Each week the teams are mixed up with differing abilities giving each the same chance of winning or losing. “All week we are talking about the teams and sorting 45 lads out can be a nightmare”, Jordan joked.
In all seriousness though, the impact LDG has had on people is tangible.
James said: “We have had messages from people’s wives thanking us for how much difference it has made. That makes it all worthwhile.
“Doing it in this environment is so much easier. For me personally, there is no way I would sit around a table and say I have had a nightmare but it just comes out at football.
“There is no pressure, like some support groups where you might feel obliged to chat. Sometimes people don’t want to chat, they just want to be around others and have the banter.
“Local authorities and health services could help more than they do. It is down to the lack of help that we have got this going.”
LDG are not alone in using sport to break down mental health barriers. Dads Behaving Madly are a similar Scarborough based team and Strength and Honour is another group in Whitby.
All three meet up to play friendlies and tournaments, and all say the friendships formed now extend beyond the pitch.
James added: “The best thing is how close all of us have become. We are not just friends, we are brothers. The friendships are the number one thing and we help each other out.”
Members might meet at Sacky’s Cafe for a breakfast or a cup of tea and a natter, some go out for beers on a Saturday night.
As LDG continues to grow in popularity, need and numbers, the founders are looking to make the group more official and open up the idea to female teams too.
They explained: “We are looking at going down that route but none of us have any experience in that. If anybody could help with that we would appreciate it. We are just fellas who play football and it has become bigger than we expected.”
Eskdale v Caedmon kicks off on Sunday, 12pm at the 3G pitch.
