Gentlemen,
My attention was drawn by Roe McDermott’s feature “All the lonely men: how to survive the ‘friendship recession’”, which was published on September 21st under the People category. This piece enlightening the issue of “friendship recession” among men both in Ireland and abroad really struck a chord with my personal experience.
There was a common piece of advice given to young individuals of every age seeking companionship in the past: “Become part of a club”. Reflecting on my personal history, this advice has proved to carry weight, even though it took time for me to realise it.
I was an avid five-a-side football player for the major part of my life, but the passage of time and deteriorating knees eventually put a full stop to that. Following years of solitude and intensifying aloneness, I decided to get involved with my community tennis club.
Declaring the experience as life-changing in the most genuine sense of the term would be far from exaggeration. Not only did tennis provide a platform for casual banter and genuine interaction with both males and females, but it also served as an avenue for authentic emotional bond. The glamour of my personal experience was amplified by the club’s guided principle of prioritising sociality over competition for new members. Indeed, this principle has not only been personally beneficial but has also helped create robust relationships and true friendships among recent additions to the club.
With utmost sincerity,
Aidan Stacey,
Chairman,
Glenalbyn Tennis Club,
in Stillorgan located within the County of Dublin.