Manchester United star visits Wigan to talk about mental health

On a cold, windy night, the United winger paid a visit to the Place 2 Place five-a-side league, at Winstanley Warriors JFC, to see first-hand the positive effect football can have in starting conversations about mental health.

Daniel spent more than two hours posing for pictures with fans in the cold, as well as chatting to players and learning about how Place 2 Place had helped them open up about their feelings in a relaxed and casual manner.

The group was founded by dad-of-two Peter Hill in 2017, after he came face to face with the devastating effects of mental illness when his best friend took his own life in 2014, at just 30 years old.

Shortly after his friend passed away, his friend’s stepdad and brother also died by suicide. Within the space of 18 months, three men in the same family had taken their own lives.

It was following these tragic deaths, and then the shock of another, that Peter decided to take a stand against the stigma of speaking out about these illnesses, starting with a charity bike ride to Paris, before later going on to found the five-a-side team, which then became a league of its own.

Place 2 Place’s efforts to help people through their struggles have received a whirlwind of praise since its formation in 2017, and last December caught the attention of Daniel, who wrote on Twitter: “What an inspirational story. Amazing to see the positive effect football has had here! It’d be lovely to meet Peter and his friends.”

And the plan finally came to fruition after weeks of planning. Speaking at the event, Daniel said: “I think it’s amazing, the community they’ve got. The way football is bringing everyone together is amazing.

“I’ve met some great people here, everyone’s so warm and nice. I think, from going around, everyone was really enjoying themselves, and they had the intervals where they could talk about their own problems. I think that’s unbelievable, and not really heard of.

“As soon as I saw it on Twitter I spoke to Peter and I wanted to come down straight away.

“I didn’t just want to raise awareness of it, but to come down and meet him and meet all the other people.

“I spoke to a lot of people today, and they’ve said how much this community has helped them.”

Daniel also spoke of how football could be a powerful tool in helping people come out of their shell and seek the help they need, particularly among people who might find it uncomfortable to approach their loved ones about their problems.

“You’ve got to speak out,” he said.

“Sometimes you can maybe hold it all in, and it can get too much at times. Speak to people, speak to your family, and if you can’t speak to them – in my situation I did find it hard to speak to my family about it – then speak to friends, or a counsellor.

“Or there are groups like this, where people are in the same situation.”

He added: “I think for a lot of people, it has really saved their life. Sometimes maybe just preventing it – maybe they’ve lost a job and got a family to provide for, and coming down here has really helped them to get back into the community and do something. I think the way Peter has done it is amazing.

“That’s why I loved coming down here today and meeting the players.

“I spoke to a boy called Callum who had a terrible motorcycle accident and got told he’d never walk again. He was out there playing football, which is unbelievable to see.

“It’s people from completely different situations, but they can talk about their mental health and how they’ve gone through it. It’s unbelievable to hear the stories and it’s really humbling.

On Daniel’s visit, Peter said: “What a well-rounded guy, to spend two hours not only showing his face but really getting to know folk was brilliant.”

“He genuinely cared about our cause and had experienced some of the challenges we’ve had first hand. He’s committed to using his platform for good.

“He says he’s going to tell the story to the other Manchester United Players. Little Place 2 Place being discussed by the likes of Ole and Pogba, how good is that?

“It was great to see all the kids and adults’ reaction as he arrived, it was quite emotional to be honest.”

Visit facebook.com/place2placefc to find out more about the group.