Two Barrow darts team sport Andy's Man Club t-shirts

A team representing The Kill One on Duke Street played against Barrow Wanders FC on Thursday, April 18. Both teams wore Andy's Man Club t-shirts, which provides male support groups across the country focusing on male suicide prevention. The one in Barrow opened recently as the 177th club on February 12. 

The Kill One won 6-3 against Barrow Wanderers FC in a semi-final of a darts tournament 'but the real winners were Andy's Man Club' as both teams showed support. 

Andy's Man Club operates under the mantra 'it's ok to talk' (Image: Danny Keenan)

Shaun Hannaway from the club said: "It's been amazing to see the local sports teams getting behind us and help promoting the Andy's Man Club cause - but to now have darts teams that are playing in a semi-final against each other uniting to help break the stigma of men not talking is awesome."

He thanked Danny Keenan, the captain of The Kill One darts team for arranging it. 

Furness sports clubs have shown strong support to Andy's Man Club, with Holker Old Boys dedicating their 5-0 victory against Ilkley Town AFC on Saturday, 13 April to the group as a means of encouraging supporters to talk more about their mental health. 

Andy's Man Club was the true 'winner' of the game (Image: Danny Keenan)

The club offers a free to attend peer-to-peer support group in Barrow under the mantra of 'it's okay to talk.' It is named after Andrew Roberts, who took his own life aged 23 in 2016. This led to the first meeting between just nine men in Halifax.

The sessions are on every Monday, except bank holidays, at The Cross Bar, Barrow AFC.

At the first session the club got 80 men through the door. Over a month later, the club was still hosting around 40 men. There are over a dozen facilitators who run the club. 

Previously, Shaun said that the club was 'overdue' and that some of the men in the support group already said that it had saved their lives only a few sessions after opening.