Stamford Bridge to host IronmongeryDirect mental health charity tournament this Saturday

This Saturday (25th May), 50 tradespeople will head to Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium to take part in the first ever ‘Match for the Mind’, a charity football tournament raising money for Mind. The event is being organised by IronmongeryDirect, the specialist trade supplier, after its latest Mental Health in the Trades report revealed that 82% of tradespeople experience some form of mental health problem due to work. 

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘movement’, and Match for the Mind aims to highlight the benefits of exercise on mental health. 

Players have already started fundraising, and almost £2,000 has been donated to Mind via the Just Giving page, on top of the £13,000 IronmongeryDirect has pledged in recent years. 

The event will be attended by tradespeople from all over the country, as well as content creators from the industry and football, such as: 

 – David Finnegan (Elwood Enterprises)
 – Ethan and Jake Thorne (Genie Brothers)
 – Chris Reeve (CJR Electrical)
 – Stu Crompton
 – James Askew (Future Goalkeeping)
 – Zac Djellab
 – Marcus Skeet (Hull Boy) 

The players have been arranged into squads based on their trade, with teams representing the most common professions in the industry: 

1) Builders 
2) Plumbers 
3) Electricians 
4) Carpenters and Joiners 
5) Roofers and Scaffolders 
6) All other trades 

There will be professional referees, photographers, personalised football shirts for each team, and medals for all participants. 

As well as the 7-a-side matches, there will be further fundraising activities on the day, such as a penalty shootout and crossbar challenge, with IronmongeryDirect donating extra money to charity for each successful attempt. 

Jay McCrindle, a 29-year-old plumber, is playing in the tournament and shared his mental health experience: “My father died by suicide at the age of 14. I have always been plagued with mental health issues.

“I have been confused and unsure since losing my father. However, with the guidance of Mind and my family, I have now accepted what happened.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to combine my two passions of mental health awareness and Chelsea by playing in Match for the Mind.”