Set up by brothers Chris and Matt Dent back in 2010, Soho Warriors FC is a football team like no other. Made up of London-based creatives – from web designers to photographers – you’ll find the team playing together in London’s Haggerston each Friday night, as well as cooking up dozens of football-inspired creative projects. We spoke to co-founder Matt Dent, 32, and his teammates Matt Rice, 42, Dean George, 23, and Raphael Oselle, 32, to find out what friendship means to them.
How would you describe the friendships you’ve formed as a team?
MD: I think we know each other more than we think we do, because not only do we see each other every week at football, but we’ve travelled to places like New York, Paris and Berlin together to play. And we’re all creatives, so we’re really interested in what we’re all doing outside of football too.
MR: As well as playing together we’ll put on exhibitions, and there’s always pressure to get things done on time – that means you see how everyone works and learn a lot about each other in a very short space of time. We have a lot in common – I’ve played in teams where I’ll say I’m going to a gallery on the weekend and the conversation quickly falls flat, whereas in this team we all share advice and tips on where to go.
RO: Our friendship isn’t just having pints and messing about – you sometimes see people struggling at their weakest points and having real difficulties, and we’ll always pick each other up. That’s a really good feeling, being able to help each other and know support is available. On a Friday, no matter how bad my week is going, I know once I’m with the boys I’ll be feeling so much better. We have a WhatsApp chat with around 40 of us, all different ages and backgrounds. You notice when somebody hasn’t replied for a while – there’s a real sense of friendship and support there.
Soho Warriors FC in action
Do you think male friendships in 2019 are considerably different to, say, friendships our parents’ generation would have formed?
RO: Yeah, definitely, friendships have really evolved. I think there’s still a bit of apprehension talking about deep-rooted feelings and things like mental health, but being in a good crowd with positive people really helps even if you’re not talking about your deepest issues. Sometimes just being around inspiring people is a medicine.
Some of you are fathers, do you share parenting advice?
MR: My eldest is now 11, but she was six months when I joined. I remember it felt amazing to play and meet new people, and get a bit of my life back. I wouldn’t say I give advice, but I sympathise with things like early starts. It’s more about sharing experiences.
MD: Exactly, it’s more like: “Did this happen to you?” and you feel that what you’re going through is normal.
What about relationship advice?
DG: I get great advice from Matt (Dent). There have been times when I’ve been upset and Matt can tell from how I am on the pitch. We’ll play and that gets me out of that mindset, then afterwards we’ll have a proper chat about it. You can’t hide things from people who know you well.
MD: I think we all tend to gravitate towards certain people and everyone has their go-to person, depending on the topic.
DG: Matt [Dent] is like the conductor – he’s always the one to initiate messages to check in on everyone. I’ve been with the group since I was 15 and it’s meant everything to me. I didn’t know what the creative industry was, so being surrounded by these older guys in the industry meant I learned from being around them. Having these role models has been really special. I wouldn’t even call them friends – I’d call them big brothers.
MD: We’ve watched Dean grow up. He joined the team because we were a player short – he was playing on the side previously, so we asked him to join full-time. He sat with us afterwards, and we were just chatting and he ended up joining us permanently.
DG: It’s definitely moulded me into the 23-year-old I am today – those kind of opportunities don’t come along every day. Being part of the Soho Warriors feels bigger than when I got picked up by West Ham when I was a kid, I can honestly say that. It’s made such a huge difference in my life and it’s helped me in almost every imaginable way.
Do you trust each other when it comes to fashion and grooming advice?
RO: Yeah, we like seeing what everyone’s wearing, or if they’ve changed something up or done something new. There are so many of us from different walks of life, which means we all have different styles. So you might see someone wear something cool and you’ll try it. It means you’ll regularly see us with matching jackets, though.
What are the qualities you look for in friendships?
MD: It’s changed over time. Now, guidance and advice are really important because that’s where I am in my life. When I was younger, what I needed wasn’t as serious.
MR: Honesty. Someone who will tell you how it is. Loyalty too – friends who will tell you truths you might not want to hear. That’s powerful because sometimes you can’t see it. You need someone who is brave enough to do that.
RO: Patience. If you know someone is going through a tough time, you have to be patient and stick with them. It’s not always easy for men to talk about things that trouble them, so sometimes you have to bide your time and step back, wait for friends to share – that’s one thing I’ve learned.
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