The overlooked Sheffield United summer arrival that could make a difference to fans beyond the football
A Sheffield United sponsorship deal is helping put Andy’s Man Club’s message in front of thousands of supporters, after a company generously chose not to use the exposure for itself. Danny Hall found out why...
It went under the radar compared to some of the more high-profile arrivals at Sheffield United over the summer. But the name of Andy's Man Club on the front of the Bramall Lane Kop could prove every bit as significant if it helps just one fan struggling with their mental health.
Its presence is owed to a generous gesture from Datagraphic, who agreed the deal to sponsor the Blades’ biggest stand for the next two seasons before donating the sponsorship to the mental health charity.
Andy’s Man Club was set up in honour of Andrew Roberts, who took his life in 2016 at the age of just 23. Suicide remains the biggest killer of men in the UK under 50.
Groups now operate around the country under the AMC banner, with men offered a space to talk about how they are feeling - or simply to listen to others open up.
A number of groups operate all across Sheffield and the surrounding regions, on Monday evenings, and the message is simple: “It’s okay to talk.” Attitudes are beginning to change, but many men still struggle to open up.
“When the sponsorship came up, it was an option for us, but to advertise in football is not something we necessarily need,” Rhian Harris of Datagraphic told The Star. “The kind of people we work with are big councils, police forces etc. We’re not selling a pair of trainers.
“So we thought, we can do the sponsorship, but we don’t need to put our name on it because we’re not selling to people on a Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve been working quite closely this year with Andy’s Man Club as part of our social value strategy, to get people in the company to understand about reducing the stigma and getting people talking.
“Someone from our nearest Andy’s Man Club came in and did two talks in one day. We recorded it and spread it throughout the business, and we had a really, really positive response.
“People were saying: ‘I’ve got some stuff going on and I’m going to go and look into the clubs.’ It was just a really good thing for us to do. As a result, we wanted to continue working with them. They’ve become a charity we’re definitely going to continue working more closely with.
“Everyone’s got something going on. A few of our programmers turned up to the talk and a few of them hung around after the meeting to ask for a bit more information.
“We wouldn’t follow up and ask if anyone has joined, but the chances are that even if they haven’t gone for themselves, they now know about it.”
The AMC signage now sits on the Kop, with advertising around the ground and in the matchday programme also helping to spread the message to the charity’s target audience.
“They talked about the importance of reaching big groups of men, the link with football and the fact that some men don’t really talk about how they’re feeling,” Harris added.
“They tend to go to football on a Saturday and pretend everything’s all right. It seemed like a no-brainer. We don’t need this advertising space, we’re happy to pay for it, but we want to donate it to a cause that could benefit more than we can.
“Essentially, they’re getting exposure to however many people go every week, and it’s also televised this weekend. They don’t have to spend money on advertising, so they can spend that money on helping people.
“Even if one person sees it from the football match and reaches out, or just has a chat, then it’ll all be worthwhile.”
*Andy’s Man Club meetings are held every Monday across the country. For more information, or to find your local meeting, visit www.andysmanclub.co.uk.