The goalkeeper turning hand to fashion in bid to boost mental health support after dad’s tragic passing

Paddy O’Neil wants to make a difference as the fifth anniversary of his dad’s death approaches.

Looking the part was a fundamental for Paddy O’Neil when he stood between the sticks.

An effective piece of advice passed on by former Hearts and Partick Thistle goalkeeper Craig Nelson that stuck with the shotstopper throughout his career at Brechin City and Dumbarton.

If you look good then you’ll feel good and – in turn – to those watching from the sidelines you’ll look the part.

Mental wellbeing always was important to O’Neil. But for the past five years the issue has been one of his driving forces – ever since the biggest and most loyal of those fans on the touchline suddenly wasn’t by his side any more.

Next month will mark five years since his dad Danny took his own life at the age of 60. Tragically he also lost two uncles to suicide.

It’s a painful issue that cuts right to the heart of everything the 33-year-old does from trying to be the best son, brother, husband and now dad to his 20-month-old son Joshua, right through to his new venture away from football.

O’Neil hasn’t quite hung up the gloves. But he’s placed them on the shelf and instead of diving around goalmouths he’s now thrown himself into the world of fashion.

The successful launch of his company SINNE has seen the brand take off within weeks. And at the heart of it all is a crucial link between looking good and feeling even better.

The brand’s mission statement vows to merge fashion with a mission to help mental health initiatives by donating a chunky percentage of sales to charity.

And O’Neil told Record Sport: “A lot of people have been affected by this issue, especially in my family.

“It’ll be coming up for five years since dad took his own life. The effect it had on me and my family was just devastation.

“My dad did absolutely everything for me, and was always there to give advice.

“The leader of our family, basically, all of a sudden was no longer there and even now it just doesn’t feel real.

“I think about it every day and you never get over it. But you learn to live with it.

“It certainly doesn’t get easier over time, but you start to remember the good times a wee bit more.

“Dad didn’t have any problems up until COVID. But the coronavirus pandemic struck and I always say a side effect of that was a serious mental health pandemic. Dad suffered but there was no support out there for him.

“Despite all my family’s efforts, my brother, my two sisters, my mum, we just couldn’t get the support to help him, it wasn’t available there.

“So that’s a big part of the reason why I want to give to charities that can help.

“It’s a bit of a leap from goalkeeping but it’s something I hope can take off and really help make a difference.

“The idea was actually born on the way to an away game against Inverness, last August.

“You know what it’s like, a long bus journey, you get an hour or two of banter and then you get a lot of thinking time.

“I was thinking ‘what can I do when the football stops to try and keep busy, do something a bit different?’

“I’ve always thought everyone wears the same sort of clothes, especially if you’re keeping it minimalistic like I do.

“Obviously there’s loads of brands out there but I thought about what could separate it if I was to have a go.

“So I came up with this idea. Being able to incorporate mental health would show that people are buying clothes and it’s going towards something so they’re wearing it with a bit of purpose.

“It sort of snowballed from there.

“Suddenly I’m now designing clothes myself which is all a bit mad but fun. My family have been a huge help though – my wife Cara, my mum, brother Conor and sisters Caitlin and Siobhan are all helping massively behind the scenes with promotion and stuff.”

Who benefits from the SINNE – Swedish for ‘mind’ – profits will be decided between O’Neil and his customers.

“We’ll choose certain charities based off their stories,” he said. “We want to engage the people that are buying so that they know it’s gone towards something they feel passionate about.

“It’s not always necessarily going to be men’s mental health charities, it can just be any sort of mental health charity that touches somebody that’s buying from us, basically.”

Among O’Neil’s first customers have been scores of former team mates from Brechin and Dumbarton as well as goalkeeping pals Liam Kelly, David Mitchell and Remi Matthews at Crystal Palace.

Designing goalie strips isn’t on the agenda. Not yet anyway. But O’Neil said: “I was never bothered about fashion.

“But I always liked to look smart on the pitch and have little things like my gloves matching my strip.

“One bit of advice from my goalie coach at Brechin, Craig Nelson, stuck with me. He used to say half the battle is looking the part.

“If you have a goalie that looks the part then they’ll always come across positively on the pitch. If you’re scruffy then people just think you’ll be a scruffy goalkeeper even though you might not be.

“I was at Brechin for seven years and then had two spells with Dumbarton and that always stuck with me.”

Throughout the majority of those years spent in the Championship, League One and League Two, O’Neil had his dad by his side.

Memories he will cherish forever.

He said: “Dad was a massive supporter of my football career.

“You get dads who are pushy and critical but he never criticised me. He always just wanted the best.

“Him and mum would go everywhere to support me or my siblings in what we were doing. I was in America on a football scholarship and he would even fly out there and watch.

“I’ve got a wee boy now and I just want to be exactly how he was, as a dad to my son.

“I’d like to get back into football but if not I’ve enjoyed my career and it’s been a huge part in my life. The season in the Championship with Brechin never went as planned but it was still a highlight.

“There were cup ties against Celtic and Rangers – even though I was on the bench for both – that are highlights too.

“That was Celtic in the invincible season. I always remember James Forrest scored before we’d even touched the ball! They were sensational that year.”