World Mental Health Day: A spotlight on Riverside Rangers
Today is World Mental Health Day 2024. To mark the occasion, Middlesex FA caught up with Riverside Rangers FC who currently compete in the North West London Mental Health League, to discuss the positive impact of football on both their physical and mental health.
Riverside Rangers FC was a popular club that was running for many years but unfortunately stopped during Covid-19. The club reformed in April 2024, and with some friendlies and weekly training is back and competing in the North West London Mental Health League 24/25 season. It is funded by the CNWL NHS Health Charity and is fully affiliated with Middlesex Football Association.
We spoke to players as well as those involved in running the club (all pictured above) to find out more about their experiences within grassroots football in Middlesex.
Introduce yourself and describe your role at the club...
“My name is Paul Mackay and I am a player for Riverside Rangers FC. My role is to score and assist goals for the team.” (Paul is the highest goal scorer in the team)
“My name is Marc Gomez and I am a player for Riverside Rangers FC. I am a committed team player and I never miss a training session or a match.” (Marc is a strong, determined player who also scores plenty of goals for the team)
“My name is Karikalan Uthayamoorthy and I am the Club Welfare Officer. My role involves ensuring that players feel safe and comfortable as well as creating a positive atmosphere at the club.”
“My name is Ron Hoogland, I am the coach of the team and former player of the Riverside Rangers.”
“Hello, my name is Edward, and I am a goalkeeper for the Riverside Rangers football team.”
Tell us more about the club and how football benefits your community?
Rachel Cummins, Chairperson of the club, said: “We have already seen the development of new friendships and an incredible improvement in our players’ confidence and fitness. We are looking to grow the club and welcoming of new players."
Paul said the players are well supported. He added football is not only fun, but it is also beneficial to our mental, physical and social health.
Kari, Welfare Officer, feels that Riverside Rangers has empowered mental health service users in the community to connect with one another and practice a sense of comradery which might not have been possible before. Kari also stated that Riverside Rangers has broken down barriers between services in an appropriate manner to enable service users to not feel alienated from the rest of the community when it comes to activities and groups. It is definitely a team that is supportive, empowering and fosters an environment which encourages friendly competitiveness.
Ron stated before he started playing for Riverside Rangers FC, he was on a diet of Big Macs, Mars bars and alcohol. Being a player of Riverside Rangers gave him the incentive to start looking after himself a bit more. He started feeling better about himself not only physically, but also mentally. He really loved being part of a football team with people, who had been through the same as him.
"He told me that it’s great to win together and hurts less when losing together!”
How has the experience of playing in the North West London Mental Health League been for you?
Kari – “The league has been challenging in the best way; It has empowered teamwork and pushed members of the team to perform their best whilst working with one another. I would love to see the team excel in the future and take part in more tournaments within and outside of the league.”
Paul – “The league is both friendly and competitive and offers the opportunity for challenging yet rewarding games.”
Marc – “Football brings me joy and helps keep my fitness up I particularly enjoy the competitions and playing against other teams. I was happy that we were runners up at the cup final last season. But I also like it when we win; I’m hoping that Riverside Rangers will win this season!”
Kari – “I believe that the club is a fantastic example of what mental health support can look like; it’s a great opportunity to break down social barriers and level the playing field for both service users and staff. I would also encourage other mental health services to look into creating teams in their respective boroughs.”
We asked Paul what World Mental Health Day means to him – “World Mental Health Day is a day to improve the awareness of the mental health challenges that people all over the world may be experiencing”
Edward also spoke about how football has brought the players together:
"The Club Riverside Rangers is foremost aimed at Mental Health service users, meaning we are denominative patients in the context of all of us suffering from or being affected by various types of mental health disorders. So, while we may have a different or varied aspect on our contribution towards society, this does mean we all have something in common.
"We find a vent for our frustrations and the difficulties we encounter day to day, and by playing football we can eliminate the stresses and strains of life giving us back our peace of mind. As is the case with all types of physical exercise, a chemical release can be found in the brain called dopamine.
"Team play helps us find solidarity in understanding we are all from different backgrounds but that doesn't stop us from finding common ground in playing football.”
Riverside Rangers train at Brunel University Sports Park and are on the hunt for new players!
To get involved, email cnwl.riversiderangersfc@nhs.net
