A host of former Maidenhead United players returned to York Road on Sunday for a charity match in aid of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).
The mental health charity has featured on the front of the National League club’s shirts for the 2023/24 season as part of an initiative to start conversations about the issue of suicide.
In the UK, 125 lives are lost every week to suicide and CALM is attempting to tackle this by providing life-saving helpline services and building community networks of support.
Sunday’s match saw a number of fans’ favourites grace the York Road turf again including members of the National League South title winning side such as Sean Marks, Rene Steer and James Comley.
Popular striker Adrian Clifton, midfielder Harold Odametey and a host of charity auction winners, Maidenhead United Women’s players and club staff also donned their boots for the fundraising fixture.
Long-serving Magpies boss Alan Devonshire and former Wycombe Wanderers legend Gareth Ainsworth led the two sides out for the All Stars game.
Devonshire’s side triumphed 6-4 with the biggest cheer of the day going to Clifton’s son, Alfie, who galloped clear and rolled home a fourth goal for ‘Team Gareth’.
Sian Lancaster, commercial partnership manager at Maidenhead United, said: “As we were coming to the end of the season, we wanted to recognise the work we had done throughout the year.
“People come to the football ground and perhaps they don’t have a buddy and they want to engage with people. This has been a great talking point and encouraged people to come together, be part of the community and start conversations.
“Yesterday was an accumulation of all the initiatives we’ve done and brought everyone together to recognise CALM, recognise our community and the great work we do and allow people the opportunity to play at York Road.”
In total, the charity match raised more than £7,000 with all proceeds going to CALM.
Sian added: “One of the things we need to remember is someone in the UK takes their own life every 90 minutes. With the money we’ve raised, we’ve already enabled 50 people to have specialist training to become a helpline worker.
“By doing this event yesterday, it’s enabling the charity campaign to make a difference.”
Maidenhead United thanked the 11 local businesses who united to fund CALM’s front-of-shirt sponsorship for the 2023/24 season.
Pictures by Sophie Boycott and Tom Featherstone
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