'Most were Man City fans but there were a few Man Utd and Liverpool too - the banter started flying'

“Mental health doesn’t pick a football team or a skin colour. If it’s coming for you, it’s coming.”

That’s the message from Luke Ambler, founder of men’s mental health group Andy’s Man Club. The organisation was created eight years ago by the former rugby league player. Now more than 4,500 men meet at the clubs across the country every week. 

The group has grown huge amounts since its origins, and there are now almost 200 AMC groups that meet every Monday night. Men in Manchester who want to go along to a meeting can now do so at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, as it becomes the 13th group in Greater Manchester. 

For many City fans in Manchester, the Etihad is like a second home. Andy’s Man Club and City want to make people aware, however, that it’s not about football and it doesn’t matter what your background is - everyone is welcome. 

“We want everyone to come together here at City and talk and share what's going on in our lives,” says Luke. “We are grateful to Man City because Manchester needs this.

“People think the club was started because of the death of my brother-in-law, which I guess was the key factor. The real reason was when we had to deliver that message to my then six-year-old son. 

“When we told him that his Uncle Andy had died, the screech that he let out was one of the hardest things I’ve been through. I realised then that other families shouldn't need to go through this. That’s always been the driving force behind it.  Anytime I think that fire might be going out, I think back to that moment.”

The size of the group has grown a lot since its creation back in 2016. Luke pointed out that there was a distinct goal at the start. 

“It has been a short journey, sometimes it feels like it's been a lifetime,” he said. “We had a five-year goal, and I remember coming out with a line saying ‘we’ll open 10 clubs in five years’ and on our fifth birthday we opened our 50th club. We’re now nearing 200 groups which is phenomenal.

“The ultimate goal of Andy’s Man Club is to give people hope. Hope, in a nutshell, is knowing that tomorrow can be better than today.”

Danny Wilson, managing director of Manchester City Operations, believes clubs can play a big role in supporting men’s mental health.

“Sport is an area where men come together in big numbers, and to take the initiative and try to find a way of getting people talking and to try and address the stigma that comes with mental health is a credit to the club,” he said. “The way that AMC has been built up over a relatively short period of time is incredible. 

“We’re opening up the doors of the Etihad Stadium and we want fans who want to participate to come and join us. The more that comes the better it will be, but it’s not just about City fans. We want to support the wider community with this. Seven days can be a long time for some people, so we want to look at ways in which we can develop this out. This could be football sessions or just coming together to watch games.” 

Omar, one of the facilitators at AMC Etihad Stadium, said: “Men feel at home inside a football club and for many City fans, this is their second home. The guys who come along are a mix – some business owners, some who worked for corporations, a few unemployed, some tradesmen. They ranged from their 20s to their 70s and it was racially mixed too.

“Most were City fans but there were a few United and Liverpool fans too. They joked about being on enemy territory and the banter started flying, which relaxed everyone.”