Many years ago myself and my friend Eric came up with the concept of using football as a way of connecting men to other men to talk about their mental health. We both thought it sounded like a good idea however like most conversations it never went further than that. The idea has recently resurfaced and I think it can work. Lots of men find it easy to talk about football but talking about other stuff is often more difficult.
I met Eric while training to be a psychotherapist. We both come from a working class background where football was part of our cultural heritage. However, talking about how you feel was not something either of us was use to doing. I’ll speak for myself by saying that as a young man anger was the only emotion that I was able to express and I’m sure this will resonate with Eric.
Eric’s friendship has been incredibly important to me because of the support, both emotionally and intellectually, that he has given me over the years. Eric is an artist and teacher and I can remember visiting the Tate Modern with him and he explained to me why a pile of bricks can be an object of art. Because I trust him and he is very clever I started to see art in a new light. Today the Tate Modern opens its new wing and as a member I look forward to what it has to offer.
