A new football club set up in Co Antrim is helping address the stigma around men's mental health.
The brilliantly named Borussia Newtownabbey FC was launched in August and aims to play in the Amateur League next season.
The club was the idea of founder Jonathan Round and it has been growing from strength to strength since its inception.
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Borussia Newtownabbey brings members together each week for training and chats.
"Jonathan wanted to create a club that is open to men who can openly talk about their mental health in a relaxed environment, while also having a passion for football," explained Borussia Newtownabbey media officer Dawid Sokol.
"He thought it would be good to have a club as a great place for people in the community to join. And it is also for people with all levels of footballing ability.
"You don't need to be fantastic at football to join. We are much more than that. We want people to just enjoy themselves.
"We started with a small group, and the committee was made up of two or three people. Now we have about 41 members, and we have 25 regular players who come up to the football nights we have once a week.
"We are also hoping to have a few charity matches before we join the league."
Borussia Newtownabbey are currently training at the Valley Leisure Centre and plan to play in Division 5 of the Amateur League from next season.
"We are still working on finding a home pitch where we will be based," Dawid added.
"So there will be a competitive element to the club, but also retaining that aspect where we're here for everyone.
"The plan is to have an 11-aside team, and also a 6-aside team for tournaments. The aim will be to grow it in the future, and things have grown quite quickly so far.
"We want to provide for the kids in the area, too. So that is something we will look at."
Dawid says the aim of the club will be to provide a hub for players to come together if they are experiencing any mental health issues.
"People should talk to each other, and that is something we promote. We want to be open about mental health," he added.
"I work within mental health and see the impact mental health is having in the community.
"We are looking to build a network for our members and a safe space to talk if they are feeling low. We have seen some of our members talk about some of past experiences, and that shows how you can use football as a vehicle to create positive mental health through sport.
"We saw the impact Covid had on many people, even to this day. There are people going through mental health services all the time. And men tend to keep these things inside rather than talk about it."
The name for the club came from founder Jonathan Bound who is fan of Borussia Dortmund, the German side who are known for a bright yellow kit.
"Jonathan specifically said it was because of the 1997 team he really liked and he liked the colours," Dawid said.
"And being from Newtownabbey he thought it fitted nicely, even though it is a bit of a mouthful
"We only got up and running in August so we are still organising a lot of things, but we have been overwhelmed by the support from the whole community.
"We can't thank them enough."
This Friday night Borussia Newtownabbey will take on a team from PwC at Crusaders' Seaview stadium.
Entrance will be free but people can donate to a charity collection which will support TAMHI (Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues) and Orchardville NI.
"TAMHI is the club's charity of choice. It is a mental health charity based in North Belfast that works with sports clubs and groups who use sport to raise awareness of mental health and resilience," Dawid said.
"They also work with schools, and youth groups to make mental health fun and engaging.
The PwC team are raising funds for Orchardville and they’ve supported the match by paying for the hire of the pitch for us.
"The game kicks off at 7.30pm but the ground will be open from 7pm. There will be an open bar area so people can stay warm if the cold snap continues."
Anyone interested in joining Borussia Newtownabbey FC or sponsors looking to support the club can contact them on their social media ( Instagram, Twitter and Facebook ) or email: services@borussianewtownabbeyfc.com
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