A Co Tyrone football team has been supporting men grieving from baby loss locally for the last four years.
Sands United FC Dungannon is one of several teams set up throughout Northern Ireland in recent years in order to give bereaved dads, brothers and uncles a supportive environment to get out and socialise and play sport.
Dungannon man Brian McLarnon experienced his own personal loss following the death of his son Declan in 2016, and said he initially set up the club as a way for him to cope with his own grief.
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“I started it up myself at the time but I have a bit more help now that we have been going a while,” Brian told Belfast Live.
“We saw teams being set up in Belfast and Derry and thought it was something good for me to focus on and help me.
“Seven years ago now we lost our first son Declan, it was a tough one to cope with at the time and I knew setting up the club would help me and hopefully others as well.
“We have steady numbers now and a good group of up 20 lads.
“The football brings us together, it’s not a support group where you sit around in a circle and talk but you can talk if you want.
“The social aspect of it is great because you are getting men out that would maybe be hiding away otherwise.
“It’s something you never really get over, you just learn to live with it and cope with it in your own way.”
Representatives from the various Sands United teams are due to travel to Dublin this summer for a international match against their Republic of Ireland opponents, and Brian added that all of the teams together have formed a strong community bond over the years.
“There are a lot more teams springing up now and we are all starting to play friendlies together with the aim of maybe getting a league started up.
“It’s a bit like a community and almost like a family.”
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