Those unconvinced by the social benefits of playing football might wonder what positive effects the sport is capable of. A bit of exercise, maybe; or, at a stretch, the opportunity for grown men to banter with one another. But Janette Hynes, founder of the Positive Mental Attitude League, has shown that the sport is more than capable of doing important work in the treatment and convalescence of people with mental health issues.

The London-based PMAL consists of 12 teams in two divisions from all over London. Each team trains twice a week for four hours, and plays monthly matches. The difference between this and other amateur football leagues, however, is that the players are all current and former “NHS mental health service users”, with conditions such as obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Hynes, 40, runs both leagues, and is the manager of the PMAL team Hackney FC.