The West Ham United Foundation proudly teamed up with R;pple Suicide Prevention for their second annual five-a-side football tournament, delivered in partnership with Shawbrook Bank and Hampshire Trust Bank, held for the very first time at the Foundation’s new home, the Foundry.
The event brought together 20 teams and over 170 participants, raising more than £30,000 to support the life-saving work of both R;pple Suicide Prevention and the Foundation, with Allica Bank crowned winners of the men’s tournament, while Field Fisher lifted the women’s cup. Three other men’s teams also won silverware with TSA Riley lifting the plate, Shawbrook 1 claiming the bowl and AWH taking home the spoon.
As well as raising vital funds for the two causes, the tournament was all about using football to encourage positive conversations about mental health, raise awareness and provide vital funds for two organisations dedicated to prevention and support.
Former West Ham and England striker Carlton Cole, now an Ambassador for the Foundation, was among those lending his support.
"It's just good to be here and see all these guys enjoying football, and doing it for the right causes as well," Cole said. "I've had experiences in my life when I've been really low. Talking to someone is massive, it puts things into perspective, but I understand that some people don't have that strength, and that's where love and support become so important.
"When I had my kids, even when I wasn’t going through the best of times, I knew I had to be there for them. Your life is always worth it. In football, we talk about resilience and masculinity, but now empathy is becoming more important. Days like today shine a light on that, recognising the signs when people are struggling and showing care."
For lifelong West Ham fan Alice Hendy MBE, founder of R;pple Suicide Prevention, the cause is deeply personal. She set up the charity in memory of her brother Josh, who she tragically lost to suicide in November 2020.
“After his death, I discovered he had been looking at harmful material online which gave him step-by-step instructions on how to end his life,” she explained. “There was nothing to intervene. That’s why I created R;pple, a browser extension that intercepts harmful searches and instead signposts users to much-needed support.”
Working in cybersecurity, she used her IT knowhow to develop a browser extension designed to intercept any harmful internet searches relating to self-harm and suicide. Since launching, R;pple has intercepted over 100,000 harmful searches and the software is even used by West Ham United, the Foundation and some of the participating organisations who fielded teams at the tournament.
“In four-and-a-half years, 32 people have told us they are still here today because R;pple intervened at their moment of crisis,” Alice revealed. “One of those individuals was actually playing in today’s tournament, which shows just how powerful this technology can be.”
West Ham United Foundation CEO, Joseph Lyons, who was delighted to host the first football tournament at The Foundry, the Foundation’s new home, emphasised how football can act as a vehicle to spark difficult conversations, while also highlighting the preventative mental health work carried out by the Club’s official charity.
“Seeing the Foundry come to life with a tournament like this makes me incredibly proud,” said Lyons. “The work R;pple does, and the work our Foundation staff do around mentoring and detached youth work, are slightly different but deeply complementary.
“As a football club, we have a unique power, using sport to engage, with coaches who are also trained to spot the signs and support young people. Events like this wouldn’t happen without partners like Shawbrook Bank and HTB, who take their social responsibilities seriously and help us give back to the causes we care about.”
As Lyons said, sport, and football in particular, have a unique power to bring people together and spark conversations that might otherwise feel difficult. By placing football and mental health side by side, tournament participants were reminded that mental health can be talked about openly, as something we can all support each other with.
One participant said: “Exercise is one of the first things a doctor recommends if you’re feeling low, and football is such a great way to do that. What struck me was talking to the R;pple team and learning how their technology works. I will definitely do some research into the coding behind it. It was fascinating, and just chatting, making friends, that’s what makes the difference.”
Both the Foundation and R;pple also extend a huge thank you to its Silver and Bronze sponsors TSA Riley, Kuits Solicitors, Brickflow, Align Property Finance, Finwell and AWH, whose support all helped make the event possible.
