All together now – Introducing All Inclusive Football

Top image caption: Founders of All Inclusive Football, Matt Gill and Ian Brasher

Having participated in team sports when she was younger, CPSL Mind’s Communications and Engagement Manager Olivia Hubbard understands the benefits that team sports can bring to people; how they can improve wellbeing, confidence, and connection. Olivia headed down to ‘Buckden Towers’ in Cambridgeshire to meet the team behind ‘All Inclusive Football’, which has received grant funding from CPSL Mind’s Good Life Fund.

All Inclusive Football Coaching is more than just an organisation; it’s a movement to make football available to everyone. Its mission is to ensure that no one is sidelined because of their circumstances. The team believes in football’s power to unite, inspire, and transform lives.

Nestled between historic Buckden Towers (which has a history spanning 900 years and is listed in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as a manor belonging to the Bishop of Lincoln) and a neighbouring field, lies the home of All Inclusive Football’s Monday lunchtime walking football session. Between 12:00-1:00 pm every Monday, local people, many of whom are on their lunch break from work or enjoying retirement, pop down to the field for a kickabout session.

When we hear ‘Do you fancy a kickabout?’ this session is just that – a friendly, inclusive football session where there are more laughs than yellow cards. Having joined a very serious running club myself – where people run marathons most weeks, and I’m trying to plod three miles without pulling a muscle – I really understand the importance of finding the right group to suit your ability and needs.

Participants arrive and greet each other fondly; I spot one of my old teachers warming up and springing into action. The English Literature Jacobean tragedy text we read more than a decade ago in class seems somewhat fitting to discuss in our current environment beside the historic towers. There’s no pressure here for the group, if someone’s kick goes off into the long grass, it doesn’t matter. If someone hits the crossbar, that’s OK too – you aren’t going to get dropped from the team sheet, and no one will talk about your performance in the changing room.

With a lifelong passion for football and careers spanning playing, coaching and management, Matt Gill and Ian Brasher have witnessed countless moments of joy the game can bring. Yet, they have also seen many faces on the sidelines, those for whom the game was just a distant dream. This sparked an idea that grew into a mission.

So, where did it all begin? Matt explains, “We run a football group on a Sunday morning for children with additional needs, and we fell in love with it. I thought that there aren’t enough inclusive football sessions in the county, so we wanted to set something up and do something about that. All Inclusive Football is a not-for-profit organisation, and the idea is to get opportunities for people who don’t play mainstream football, whether that’s children, adults, pensioners, ladies teams, first-time footballers, etc.”

Matt tells me that football has a community feeling; it’s about joking with each other, or laughing at each other’s football team misfortunes, for example. The ability doesn’t make any difference because walking football changes the way you play. Everyone has their reason for coming, and there’s no pressure to come every week.”

The Good Life Fund

Small grants can be a great help for encouraging people to take the first steps to become engaged in their communities, inspiring them to develop their ideas for groups and activities. Reflecting on how the Good Life Fund has helped All Inclusive Football, Matt said, “CPSL Mind came about for us because there’s a link to playing football and supporting your mental health, being part of a team and spending time outside in nature. We have tried to get something going based on that, and we felt it was a better fit to invite people to come along to an established group of people and encourage people to get talking.”

The Good Life Fund has helped Matt and Ian buy equipment, they have portable goals, and the fund has enabled them to buy bibs and balls. As a not-for-profit, community interest company, The Good Life Fund is allowing the team to keep going and providing the opportunity to offer more sessions to the community. The team’s ambition is to be doing this every day, in different communities. Matt says, “Running these sessions is good for people’s mental wellbeing, and it’s about connecting people with like-minded friends.”

Opportunity for all

One of the biggest impacts Matt has seen is how the group encourages intergenerational linking, connecting different age groups in the community to strengthen connections. Through intergenerational linking, young and older people share stories, creating meaningful and lasting relationships between generations.

“Ian’s son comes along, he’s eight, and he loves it! Bringing people together has been the biggest thing for me. We run the walking football sessions twice a week here, and we are working with SEND groups in Peterborough and local SEND schools. We want to be working with every generation”, says Matt.

Like father like son – Matt’s own father was a professional footballer. “My dad was a manager of a semi pro team, and he played for England at 21 years old. I played a lot of football every weekend, and when my son was born in 2009, I got involved in running his football team. My world changed when I became a football coach, I get so much more pleasure bringing people together to allow them to play. Some coaches are set up on winning, but I think it’s more important to ensure we have inclusion in sports and that everyone has the opportunity to play. I teach four and five-year-olds, and I get so much joy from seeing children playing their first game of football. Being a player was great, but being a coach is so much more fun!”

Why should people come along? “Come along, says Matt. I’m 52 years old. When I told my friends that I’m doing walking football, they weren’t sure if they were ready for it, but they were surprised by how much exercise there is. There’s a man who joins us; he’s 72 years old, and he’s had two double knee replacements. He loves it, and he keeps coming back every week. He keeps saying how the cardio is so important to him. He may go a bit faster than he should, but you will be surprised about how fun it is. I’m biased, of course, but it’s a great group of people, and we get on really well.”

Let’s meet some of them…

Martin Smith

“I’ve been coming along to the All Inclusive walking football since Summer 2024 and really found it to be a benefit for keeping fit, and it’s a wellbeing activity that I look forward to each week. I like the socialising aspect, too. On a personal level, I’ve done walking, but this is the first time with a club or a group. I found them on Facebook, came along, and I’ve been made to feel really welcome. It is more about the fun aspect than the football aspect. It’s really good. I know it’s on Monday lunchtime and Thursday evening, and I always look forward to it and am disappointed when I can’t attend. Come and do it! I think a lot of people misunderstand it and think it’s just for people who are old and retired, but it’s not, it’s for all ages, and it’s a great activity to get involved with.”

Malcolm Clarke

“I live locally, and, in the last few weeks, I’ve joined the Buckden All Inclusive walking football. It’s very good. I used to play a little bit of football, It’s nice to get back and play with a great lunch of people, very sociable.

I’ve been wanting to join something since I retired, and Matt and Ian have been very welcoming. Try it! You will meet a lot of like-minded people, and everyone is having a great time.”

Mike Porter

“I moved into Stirtloe just over a year ago, and I thought this was a good opportunity to meet some people and to keep fit. I jumped at the chance. I’ve been coming since last August and been coming ever since and have been having good conversations. People think walking football is easy, but it’s not; it gets me. It’s good that when you get older, you can fall down and then get back up again without being hurt!

I really look forward to it, it gives me a spring in my step.

Come along and give it a try! It doesn’t matter what skill level you have got. I hadn’t played football for years, anyone can come in and play. We are pretty relaxed about the rules! It’s really good fun.”

Whether you can volunteer, donate or spread the word, your support propels All Inclusive Football’s vision forward. Together, we can turn the sidelines into starting lines, making football truly everyone’s game.

Want to find out more? Visit: All Inclusive FC | All Inclusive FC

Being active is one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing. Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups. Exercise is also essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting wellbeing. It doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good – slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the added benefit of encouraging social interactions as well as providing some level of exercise. Take notice of how people around you are feeling or acting. Visit the CPSL Mind website to find out more about the Five Ways to Wellbeing: Five Ways to Wellbeing – CPSL Mind