Two Otago University students are bringing their community together through football this weekend, after losing people close to them to suicide and seeing first-hand what can happen when young people cannot access or feel able to ask for help.
The community football match will kick off at 1.15pm on Sunday, 20 September at Logan Park, Dunedin, raising funds and awareness for I Am Hope.
Organisers, physiotherapy student Edwin Short and medical student Luka Lee, hope around 100 people will come along, with fundraising through a Givealittle page, QR code donations on the day, a raffle supported by local businesses and a BBQ.
For the pair, the event comes from deeply personal experience.
A close friend died by suicide in 2024 at just 18 years old. Another family friend had sought help through the public mental health system while experiencing severe depression at 15, but was told there was a three-month wait. He died by suicide soon afterwards.
“We’ve seen what happens when young people are suffering and either don’t feel comfortable speaking about it or can’t get the help they need quickly enough,” says Short.
“A lot of young people still think people won’t understand, or that talking about what they’re going through somehow makes them weak. So they keep it to themselves. We want to use something as simple as a football game to get people together and show young people that there are people who understand, people who care, and people who want to listen.”
The duo say the event is also about making sure young people and their families know what support is already available.
“So many people I know didn’t even realise Gumboot Friday provides free counselling for young people. We need to get that information out there. If someone is struggling, knowing where they can turn can make a massive difference,” Lee says.
Gumboot Friday provides free counselling for New Zealanders aged 25 and under, with no referral required and young people able to choose a counsellor who feels right for them. Since 2019, Gumboot Friday has funded more than 170,000 free counselling sessions for young New Zealanders.
I Am Hope founder Mike King says seeing young people take their own experiences and turn them into something for their peers is exactly how attitudes begin to change within the community.
“These young men have lost people they love. They know what it feels like when someone is struggling and the people around them wish they’d known just how bad things were,” King says.
“Now they’re taking something they love, football, and using it to start the conversation with other young people. It is more effective than most things we do, because you don’t change this stuff with another poster telling kids to speak up. You change it by making these conversations normal — at the footy, with your mates, at school, at home.
“And when a young person does finally say, ‘I’m not doing okay’, we need somewhere to send them. That’s why Gumboot Friday exists. Fast access to someone who will sit down and listen without costs or referrals being a barrier.”
Short and Lee are now calling on Dunedin businesses and the wider community to get behind the event, whether through raffle prizes, sponsorship, or simply turning up on the day.
All funds raised will support I Am Hope.
Community Football Match for I Am Hope
Date: Sunday, 20 September 2026
Location: Logan Park, Dunedin
Time: Kick-off: 1.15pm
GUMBOOT FRIDAY IS NOVEMBER 6
Gumboot Friday gives any young New Zealander aged between 5 & 25 free counselling. If they need help, they can get it. When they need it, before it’s too late. With more than 170,000 counselling sessions since 2019, the good is getting done.
Government support helps pay for the counselling. Community support helps keep Gumboot Friday running, so more kids know where to go when they need help.
On Friday 6 November 2026, we’re giving Gumboot Friday a shot in the arm in the hope it will become New Zealand’s Mental Health Day, when Kiwis will gumboot Up and raise funds for young people to access help when they need it.
For more info visit www.gumbootfriday.org.nz
If you or someone you know is 25 or under and needs someone to talk to, visit www.gumbootfriday.org.nz to book a free counsellor today — no referral needed.
