Former Everton players Gareth Farrelly and Tony Grant, who made 30 and 79 appearances for the club respectively, will play together again in a charity match to raise awareness of men's mental health. The game, between Everton's official LGBTQ+ supporters group Rainbow Toffees and local community interest company A&K Football Education, will take place at Target Football CIC at Admiral Park in Toxteth on Sunday, August 16, with proceeds going to Rainbow Toffees' Mental Health Days Out initiative.
Former Blues to Feature Alongside Ex-Footballers
Farrelly and Grant are set to play alongside staff and students from A&K Football Education, with fellow ex-footballers Adam Hammill, John Murphy, and Danny Ventre also expected to be part of the team. Grant, a Scouser who scored three goals for Everton during a six-year spell in the 1990s, later played for Tranmere Rovers before moving into coaching, assisting Duncan Ferguson at Forest Green Rovers and Robbie Fowler at SC East Bengal. He is now director and technical head of football performance at A&K, an organisation he founded with Kevin Kirby, fellow director and head of football education, to support the community and vulnerable young people.
Community Support and Mental Health Focus
Kirby told the ECHO: "What we want to do is give back to the community. My background was as a teacher - I'd done some Ofsted training, worked at a college, worked with some schoolkids and then met Tony through Gareth [Farrelly]. And then we had this idea and we put it together and we want to support local communities, and now we've just expanded into Sefton. But the ethos is to support as many people as we can."
A&K operate a community centre in Birkenhead, run by Grant, offering courses and classes for all ages. Kirby runs alternative provision schools in West Kirby and Sefton for young people who have been excluded from school or struggle with full-time education, providing a foundation through football coaching and practical qualifications. A key part of Kirby's work, alongside Murphy as head of player development, is encouraging young people to open up about their feelings in a safe and supportive environment.
Personal Motivation and the Importance of Talking
Kirby's motivations stem from his own experiences. He said: "As a young man - 20, 21 - I was captain of the football team I played for, I was the tallest and the oldest, probably, out of all my mates and it was tough for me. They were all coming to me with issues and I wouldn't go to anyone else. Looking back, I probably needed it more than some of them, and I was taking some of their problems on board as well. And I just couldn't do it, just couldn't open up until later on in life. I think I was about 32, 33 before I went to the doctors and said, 'Look, I can't deal with some of these issues in my head.' I just had to go the doctors. And it was a big turning point for me."
A&K offer alternative provisions for both boys and girls and have the support of several ex-footballers. Kirby told the ECHO that many who could not make the game due to injuries or commitments have expressed interest in playing in a future charity match. He said: "I felt really privileged when Rainbow Toffees asked us to do this game, and what it was for was a massive thing for me. In the past, we've not accepted any before when we have been asked - we just hadn't been able to put a side together. But I knew I was going to make this work, and since we've done it we've had such a good response from some of the ex-footballers - even some of the ex-footballers who can't make it."
Rainbow Toffees' Mental Health Initiative and New Kit
Paul Buckley of Rainbow Toffees explained how the match will fund the Mental Health Days Out initiative, which offers opportunities for people struggling with their mental health to attend events like theatre performances and festivals to combat loneliness and isolation. Buckley told the ECHO: "With Rainbow Toffees, we do a Mental Health Days Out initiative. It just gets people out the house and gives them something to do, and a purpose. And the reason I set it up initially is because I suffer with my mental health as well. So, it's just a nice day out and people getting together. But the football game itself, a lot of our players have said - again, around mental health - it gives them something to do, playing football. Not only that, it's highlighting it and letting people know that we shouldn't be embarrassed because, men especially, they're not necessarily open about mental health. We need to be more accepting of it and just say, 'Listen, it's okay to not be okay.'"
The charity game will also serve as the platform for Rainbow Toffees to launch their new kit, which incorporates the colours of the transgender pride flag in response to rising transphobic hate crime and the normalisation of 'gender critical' positions. Buckley told the ECHO: "It's like we've gone back in time. So we've incorporated the trans flag in our kits to support our trans brothers and sisters and show solidarity. So it's highlighting another thing - not just mental health, we're highlighting our support with the trans community as well. Plus, India Willoughby [the Good Morning Britain presenter, who is transgender] being one of our patrons alongside Neville Southall, it made sense to do that for her."
Rainbow Toffees recently received the backing of Everton legend Neville Southall, which Buckley hopes will spread the group's message of acceptance. He said: "We love that because [Southall] is quite vocal and supportive, and he's got a bit of backlash as well from Everton fans saying, 'Why are you going down this road?' But for us, it's fantastic because he's a big voice, and that's what we need. Because not one gay footballer has come out since Justin Fashanu, and that was 33 years ago. Why are these players so afraid to come out? So this is another reason why Rainbow Toffees and other LGBT supporters groups like us exist."
Event Details and Upcoming Awards Ceremony
The charity match will take place at Target Football CIC in Admiral Park on Admiral Street, Toxteth on Sunday, August 16, kicking off at 1:30pm. The event is free to attend, with a buffet and bar available at the clubhouse. Rainbow Toffees will also host their annual awards ceremony at BOXPARK Liverpool on Friday, August 28 from 7pm to 10pm. Local radio personalities Pete Price and Billy Butler will attend, along with Willoughby, who will host the event. Tickets can be purchased via the Eventbrite page, and more information is available on Rainbow Toffees' Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as A&K Football Education's website.
