BILL Shankly once famously said: “Some people think football is a matter of life or death, I can assure you, it is more important that that.”

For members of the Social Inclusion Football League, those words muttered by Shanks have significant meaning.

To many of the players involved, football has been a life-saver.

Now the league - which helps those recovering from mental health and addiction problems - is hoping to win a public vote and earn £50,000 to secure it’s long term future.

The league, run by Creative Support, has been shortlisted for ITV’s The People’s Projects where a Big Lottery Fund windfall is up for grabs. It is one of five organisations in the Granada region who have a chance to win the prize and voting closes at midday on Sunday. The winner will be announced on Granada Reports on Wednesday, March 16.

The league is based at Blackburn Rovers Indoor Centre but attracts teams from across East Lancashire and beyond.

It currently has 14 teams playing in two divisions who meet once a month but should they win, they will double the amount of teams and fund coaching, referee and ‘peer support’ courses.

Paul Hardman, a support coordinator for Creative Support and the driving force behind the league, has no doubts about how important football has been to those trying to get their lives back on track.

“You only have to come down to the BRIC on a Friday and see what it means to the players,” he added. “There is a real buzz about the place, the football gives them a purpose and it is great to see.

“We started with the football back in 2009 with about five lads and it has all gone from there,” he said. “First we played a few friendlies, then asked if anyone wanted to join a league and it just spiralled.

“We were looking at different ways to support people in Blackburn and Darwen. Trying to get away from the usual service that people provide.

“So it was a case of asking people what they wanted to do rather than impose things of them.”

Hardman says should they top the poll come next week, the funding would be ‘priceless’.

“The funding would be massive for us. This money would probably secure the league indefinitely,” he added. “It would enable us to sustain the league for as long as it is needed.

“It would be priceless really.”

Hardman says the funding would enable the league to grow, provide training and coaching to players and team officials and ultimately allow clubs to help run the league themselves.

“The idea is that once you get over the hurdle and get the funding, the league would be run by the teams themselves,” he said. “It would then become a collective effort.”

Football and the league itself is being used as a platform to help players progress - either in the game itself or from a personal point of view,

“The league has been a great way to help players with their self esteem and help them improve their confidence,” he said.

“People have asked why create a league just for those with mental health and addiction problems, saying that it creates a stigma in itself.

“I understand that from the outside but these are people who can’t access mainstream sport - that could be down to low income or low self esteem - so the league is a platform for people to come in and learn from their peers, get that support and then perhaps go on and play in mainstream sport.”

Since the league started it has been funded by Creative Support and run in conjunction with Blackburn Rovers in the Community.

Hardman also managed to obtain £10,000 of National Lottery funding which prompted an invite to apply for the People's Project.

While the league will continue to exist even if they don't win the vote, Hardman stressed how about football is within the community he is working in.

"We have people specifically referred to us to play football,” he said.

“They don’t want to be in art groups or taught how to look after their bills. But once they get in to the football and get comfortable and their confidence grows, they then go back and do those things.

"Football is the carrot then we can provide a support package around that.

“It is like a way in through the back door.”

Geoff Wilkinson works for Community CVS - a registered charity that focuses on promoting voluntary and community action - and also runs Men Dive In FC.

And he has seen the benefit first hand of what football has done.

“My lads look forward to playing and meeting up once a month," he said. "As a team they help each out - as players but also as people who have gone through the same experiences.

"A lot of the lads are used to things being done for them. Now, through the football they are having to make decisions themselves. And should we get the funding, it will only help them improve.

"The Social Inclusion Football League is making positive changes to chaotic lives."

n How to vote: Log on to www.thepeoplesproject.org.uk click 'pick a region'; select The Social Inclusion League and fill in details.