\n A south east London football team is challenging long-held taboos by putting men\u2019s mental health front and centre.\n <\/p>\n
\n On Thursday, May 29, charity teams Wandering Crows and Matters of Men will go head-to-head in a special fundraising match at Charlton Athletics\u2019 iconic ground, The Valley.\n <\/p>\n
\n The free, family-friendly event will not only bring grassroots football back into the spotlight but raise vital funds and awareness for mental health charity Samaritans.\n <\/p>\n
\n Paul Ray, chairman and founder of Matters of Men, told the News Shopper: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of charity teams around south London, but we thought there\u2019s a stigma with men\u2019s silence.\n <\/p>\n
\n The ‘Matters of Men’ football team (Image: Paul Ray)\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey can\u2019t talk to people about their issues or worries because they don\u2019t want the micky taking out of them.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s this very stigma that Paul \u2013 who grew up in Lee Green and now lives in Grimsby \u2013 has made it his mission to tackle.\n <\/p>\n
\n After stepping away from playing grassroots football, he and a group of friends formed Matters of Men three years ago.\n <\/p>\n
\n Paul Ray is the chairman for Matters of Men (Image: Paul Ray)\n <\/p>\n
\n What started as a love for the game quickly evolved into a heartfelt campaign to confront the silent battles many men face.\n <\/p>\n
\n With the tragic loss of friends and family members to suicide, choosing Samaritans as their charity partner was a deeply personal decision.\n <\/p>\n
\n Paul explained: \u201cWe\u2019ve lost a few friends on the way and the one organisation that doesn\u2019t get recognised as much is Samaritans.\n <\/p>\n
\n The charity match will be held on May 29 (Image: Paul Ray)\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis organisation is there to listen to you \u2013 not to judge you, know you and sometimes it\u2019s easier for people to open up to someone they don\u2019t know.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The match, which kicks off at 12pm during the half-term break, will also feature donation buckets, limited-edition programmes, and media coverage including a documentary team focusing on the mental health message behind the campaign.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got photographers and a videographer coming down to film the game,\u201d Paul added.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cSome people will open up and chat about their background \u2013 we\u2019re doing a lot to raise awareness.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The game will be hosted at Charlton Athletic’s grounds (Image: Paul Ray)\n <\/p>\n
\n But for Paul, the campaign is more than a one-day event – it\u2019s a reflection of lived experience, ongoing support, and the power of community.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u00a0He added: \u201cI\u2019ve gone through a lot of personal ups and downs \u2013 I lost a child in 2007 and didn\u2019t think my life would go anywhere.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIf it\u2019s just one person who calls Samaritans through our work, then we\u2019ve done our job.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Matters of Men is as much about creating a space for emotional connection as it is about football.\n <\/p>\n
\n Paul is tackling the taboo around men’s mental health (Image: Paul Ray)\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe wanted to play football in the right environment \u2013 it\u2019s competitive but a bit of a laugh,\u201d Paul said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cMatters of men is for things that matter for men \u2013 gambling, loss, going through addiction.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cMen don\u2019t talk about their trauma.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have any counselling which was probably the wrong thing to do.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cOver the time Samaritan\u2019s has helped me. It\u2019s driving me to help open people\u2019s eyes.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Paul Ray (pictured) (Image: Paul Ray)\n <\/p>\n
\n Paul told the News Shopper that he and his teammates stay connected through a WhatsApp group, offering each other a sense of brotherhood and support whenever it\u2019s needed.\n <\/p>\n
\n He explained: \u201cWe might not speak every day, but we jump on and send a funny meme in it.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cIf someone doesn\u2019t reply in a week or so I usually drop them a separate message to see if they\u2019re ok.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u00a0\u201cUnfortunately, a lot of people have gambling issues right now \u2013 it\u2019s because of the current world we live in.\n <\/p>\n
\n The team is clear that this isn\u2019t about publicity.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cEveryone is on board \u2013 we\u2019re not playing because there\u2019s a camera or we\u2019re in Charlton.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe want to break the stigma that men can\u2019t talk without looking weak.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n The May 29 match is open to all, and the team is encouraging anyone in the area to come along, support the cause, and help shine a light on men\u2019s mental health.\n <\/p>\n
\n For more information or support, you can follow @mattersofmenfc on social media.\n <\/p>\n
\n If you\u2019re struggling, you can also contact Samaritans for free on 116 123.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A south east London football team is challenging long-held taboos by putting men\u2019s mental health front and centre.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-132515","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114572628120179858","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}