Darlington man finds his feet again through Foundation's mental health sessions

Darlington man Carl Mansfield is urging others to "think with their feet" and use football to tackle mental health issues, after finding the sport helped him come off medication for depression.

Carl has attended Darlington FC Foundation's Think With Your Feet sessions since November 2022, making him one of the group's longest-standing members. 

He has lived with depression for most of his adult life, but has now been medication-free for more than two years, something he credits in part to two hours of football every Tuesday.

Football had always been part of his life until Sunday League ended and family life took over. 

"I think that was a big part of why I ended up suffering with depression," Carl said. 

"So coming back and playing again through this programme with the Darlington FC Foundation has massively helped me."

He says the sessions, and the people he plays alongside, have given him new coping mechanisms. "Everyone's got a different story on how they've ended up here, but everyone's friendly, they're open," he said. 

"If anyone had problems, they wouldn't feel afraid to pull me to one side and have a chat with me, and I wouldn't feel afraid or worried if they were doing that."

For anyone in the community who is curious about the football sessions with Darlington FC Foundation, Carl has some advice.

"Get yourself down here!” he said. “It’s just two hours of football. Whatever your worries are, you can leave them on the side of the pitch. Everyone’s friendly. You’ll have a good time. It can only help."

His commitment to the sessions is matched by those around him. Carl's employer lets him finish work at midday every Tuesday so he can get to the pitch, while other members of the group build their annual leave around it.

The Think With Your Feet programme is one of the Foundation's core mental wellbeing projects, and now runs on both Tuesdays and Fridays at Eastbourne Sports Complex. It's backed this season by Amazon, whose wider partnership with Darlington FC includes a £25,000 donation and runs through 2027. Amazon employees from the town's fulfilment centre will also volunteer at club and Foundation events.

Jack Docherty, Site Lead at Amazon's Darlington fulfilment centre, said the partnership reflected Amazon's commitment to the local community, adding that the company has supported Darlington since opening its doors there in 2020.

He said: "Amazon cares deeply about serving the communities where our employees live and work, and our partnership with Darlington Football Club and its Foundation reflects that.

"We've been a proud supporter of the Darlington community since we opened our doors here in 2020, and we're delighted to build on that support through this new partnership with Darlington Football Club."

Over 9,000 participants took part in Foundation-led projects during the 2025/26 season. For more information, visit darlingtonfcfoundation.org.uk.