GPs to prescribe free Forest Green Rovers tickets to help with depression, a football fix for your feelings
It’s official, doctors in Gloucestershire are now prescribing football to fight depression. No, really.
In a move that might just make even the grumpiest football cynic nod in approval, GPs will now be handing out free tickets to Forest Green Rovers matches as part of a fresh social prescribing scheme. If you’re feeling low, your local surgery might just send you to The New Lawn instead of the pharmacy.
The initiative is the brainchild of Labour MP and former GP Dr Simon Opher, teaming up with Dale Vince, the eco-energy tycoon and owner of Forest Green Rovers. The plan? Simple. Get people with mild to moderate depression out of the house and into the stands. Fresh air, 90 minutes of football, and maybe even a pie.
Football over pharmaceuticals?
Dr Opher has long been an advocate of social prescribing, basically, using non-medical activities like gardening or comedy nights to help mental health. He believes that for many with mild or moderate depression, the traditional route of popping pills isn’t always the best first move.
“If you’ve got severe depression then I would always recommend antidepressants,” he says. “But a large majority of people have got what they call mild to moderate depression… and the tendency at the moment is to give them tablets, because there’s no mental health support really. It can take six months to get it.”
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That delay has helped push the number of people on antidepressants in the UK to a whopping 8.7 million, a 2.1% rise on the previous year. Dr Opher wants alternatives, and this football-first approach could be a game-changer.
Why football?
Well, aside from the obvious (roaring on your team is great therapy), Dr Opher says the scheme tackles one of the biggest silent killers: loneliness.
“There’s something about watching football which gives you a sense of community,” he says. “One of the biggest problems in our society is social isolation. It’s really quite toxic.”
He’s not exaggerating. According to research, chronic loneliness can be as harmful to your health as smoking 20 cigarettes a day. Ouch.
“Football isn’t going to be for everyone. Nothing is. But we need a range of options,” he adds.
And he’s got a point. While not every patient is going to become a Forest Green ultra overnight, the sheer act of being out among others, cheering a team, and feeling part of something might just be the unexpected boost people need.
Kick-off date and who’s eligible
The programme will run across the 2025/26 season, starting with Forest Green’s home game against Yeovil Town on August 16. All tickets are being donated free of charge by the club, which Vince has owned since 2010.
Patients living near The New Lawn in Nailsworth will be eligible, with referrals made through local GP surgeries.
And while there’s no guarantee Forest Green’s performances will always lift the mood (they did lose on penalties to Southend in the playoffs last season), the sense of connection might be just what the doctor ordered.
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Vince’s vision
Dale Vince hopes this is just the beginning.
“I think it’d be a great thing if football clubs up and down the country could reach out to people and do this,” he says.
He points out that men, in particular, often suffer in silence. “It’s easy to spiral downwards when you’re not in contact with people.”
As for what football’s done for him? “Forest Green has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I’m keen to share that.”
Now, it’s up to the fans, new and old, to turn up, cheer on their team, and maybe, just maybe, feel a little lighter on the way home.
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