Every Monday and Friday, in a quiet, rural part of Lancashire, a community sports group is inspiring change through football. 

Smile FC, founded in 2024, runs multiple casual football sessions a week, focused on getting players moving, talking, connecting and most importantly, opening up. Officially a ‘community football group’ rather than a competitive team, Smile focuses more on participation and fun and less on winning and success. 

Since launching less than 3 years ago, the group has amassed over 50 regular men players, raised over £7000 for charities around the UK and successfully launched a women’s team, one of the first of its kind in Lancashire. 

Ali Bamber, 32, lives near Blackpool and was one of the three founding members of Smile, alongside Rupert Orme and Thomas Bradley-Hall. Speaking to UpRoute about the group’s journey so far, he said: “Smile FC was officially set up in February 2024 by me and two others. 

“Having been a part of a recreational football group beforehand, we wanted to provide men and more recently women with some time away from life whilst getting some exercise, meeting new people and raising funds and awareness for charities and local causes.” 

“The community we’ve created is an amazing achievement, with the group creating a family feel for everyone involved. Everyone is so welcoming regardless of skill level and abilities, allowing players to adapt to each playing situation.

“We now have around 60 lads who come down and play regularly, which is great.” 

Smile runs two weekly football sessions for men, one on Monday nights and one on Friday nights. Both sessions cost £5 for players, running for 90 minutes and played at Poolfoot Farm, Fleetwood Town FC’s professional training centre. 

Every few months, there is the opportunity for Smile’s players to play competitive games against other community football teams, often in front of big crowds. 

In addition to the men’s team, Smile also launched a women’s group in Autumn 2025. Despite starting off slow, popularity for the women’s team has grown, and there are now around a dozen girls who regularly attend weekly sessions and play. 

One of Smile’s key aims since starting has been to use football and team spirit as a tool to help get men talking.  

​​Traditional notions of masculinity and “bottling up” emotions often create significant barriers, causing men to feel embarrassed or weak for seeking support.  

Sadly, suicide is still the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50. Men are three times more likely to kill themselves than women, and men account for approximately 77% of all suicides. 

This is why, according to Bamber, Smile’s work is so important. He explained: “Mens’ mental health is a huge talking point at the moment. We often hide our thoughts very well, suffer in silence, and sometimes do even worse. 

“Hobbies, social activities, and sports have blown up since the Covid-19 lockdowns throughout the world, with all sorts of clubs and groups popping up in an effort to bring communities together. Football and team sports, in general, are huge for mental health. The sessions we provide have become so important.”

Sadly, groups like Smile FC are becoming few and far between. In an increasingly digitised world, accelerated by the disruption of Covid-19 and repeated lockdowns, face-to-face community groups have quietly declined. 

According to a 2025 survey by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, just 13% of adults in the UK now take part in some form of ‘social action’ each month- a noticeable drop from 19% in 2014. 

Bamber added: “I think it’s a shame that groups, especially community sports teams, are starting to disappear. Having a friendly, accessible group of people in your local area is, in my opinion, essential.” 

Since starting in 2024, Smile has managed to donate over £7000 to a range of different charities, both locally and nationally. 

Explaining some of the incredible work which Smile does, co-founder Rupert Orme, added: “Each month, all of our players have the opportunity to vote for where £200 of the money raised is donated. We have donated to a range of different charities, and we usually try to rotate between national and local organisations. 

“Some of the UK-wide charities we have donated to out recently are Help for Heroes and Dementia UK; some of the local charities we have helped are Aiming Higher, a Blackpool based group who help children with disabilities and SEN, and Street Angels Blackpool, who tackle homelessness and poverty.”

The group also raises an extra £100 every time a competitive game is played, and every winner of Smile’s ‘player of the month’ award is given £50 to donate to a charity of his choice. 

In addition to this, Smile also organises food bank collections over Christmas, and holds regular charity auction events throughout the year. Some of the prizes featured in March’s prize raffle included signed Manchester United memorabilia, meal vouchers, day experiences and gift cards. 

This impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. What started as a small initiative has begun to attract the backing of local businesses and major organisations, all keen to support the work Bamber and the team are doing. All of the prizes given away at raffles and auctions are donated, allowing the wider community to get involved with most of Smile’s events. 

Among the most notable partnerships Smile have forged are those with Fleetwood Town FC and Blackpool FC, offering Smile FC players the rare opportunity to step onto professional pitches. It is these partnerships which reinforce just how far the group has come in less than three years, and show the recognition Smile is receiving from the wider Lancashire community. 

Orme added: “The opportunity to play at Highbury Stadium came about in 2024, shortly after Smile FC was formed. We were approached by the Head of Operations at Poolfoot Farm with the opportunity to play on the pitch with the offer of this being a possibility again in the future.

“The opportunity and experience for both the players and their families was too good to turn down. For most men, it’s a dream to play in a professional football stadium, and in 2026, we’ll be making our third appearance at the ground, which is simply amazing.

“My favourite memories of running Smile FC so far have been playing at Highbury Stadium and sharing a pitch with former professional football players. For me personally, lining up against ex-Premier League footballer Youl Mawene was an experience!

“As selfish as this sounds, the recognition we get from people week in week out is also great. Without them and our supporters, none of this would be possible.

“For the future, we’d like to create a third weekly session on a permanent basis, which will probably be midweek. We’d also like to get more women involved in our girls session, and we are hoping that the recent surge in women’s football popularity can help.

“Our main goal is to continue expanding, and continue raising money for fantastic charities. We have raised £7000 so far, and our next goal after that is £10,000. I’m confident that we can keep up our good work and keep using football as a tool to inspire change:” Orme concluded.