A Derry man has opened up on how coaching a young football team through the Foyle Cup helped him grieve the death of his father.
After support worker Declan McBride lost his dad Robert, he found comfort in the weeks afterwards in the community within Trojans Football Club. Declan spoke openly about his mental health after the passing of his father, and how the community support from this football team helped him immensely.
He said: "I did all the personal care for my father in the last two years of his life. I loved looking after him, and it prepared me for when he was going to pass because I could see the physical decline in his body.
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"I was in bits in the lead up to his death and afterwards. I was at rock bottom and it was the support of family and friends and loved ones that got me through it.
"The Trojans Football Club committee, the coaches, the parents and the kids were amazing. They did a guard of honour at the funeral for him with their rigs on, they were contacting me to make sure I was OK. I came back to train them for the Foyle Cup and we had a great week."
For Declan, the Foyle Cup was a distraction away from the grief he was feeling at the time.
He said: "The Foyle Cup kept me very busy, I was out watching the other age groups and coaching my own side. On the Friday we won the globe and on the Friday evening I had a cry to myself in the house. The whole week distracted me and kept me going, it was unbelievable.
Declan took to social media and tweeted about the experience he had in dealing with his mental health after his father's passing and the help he received through coaching his Trojans team.
He said that even if it helped one other man reach out it would be great.
Declan said: "There is a stigma around mental health in men, men have this fear of talking in case they are seen as weak. If anything one of the strongest things you can do is reach out for help.
"I didn’t think much of the tweet when I put it out there, if it helps one person then that’s fantastic. I was lucky with the support I had around me from family and friends and the Trojans community.
"People think they can do it on their own but they can't. If you are struggling you need support around you, whether it is talking to your doctor, your loved ones, surrounding yourself in your hobby and what makes you happy."
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