Barnsley FC chief executive Gauthier Ganaye is someone who really cares about the fans of his soccer club, and not just when they’re in the stands either.

Want proof? Look no further than what he did for Barnsley fan, Chris Ryder. Ryder took to Twitter to express his struggles with “anxiety, stress and depression” on Aug. 8, but said watching a successful Barnsley match put a smile on his face after a rough few weeks.

When Ganaye came across the tweet, he sent Ryder an unbelievable letter expressing his support and concern.

“I’ve noticed through social media that you’ve had a bit of a hard time recently, I’m not sure what it is but I hope everything improves for you as soon as possible,” Ganaye wrote.

“You’ve been a fan of the club for many years and always supported us, so we want you to know that if the favour needs returning and we need to support you, please do let us know,” he said. “You are welcome to swing by any time.”

“My office door is always open and we’ve finally got a new coffee machine, a huge thanks to Alfie Mawson for that!” he concluded.

Ganaye also included the contact information for MIND, which is a mental health charity in England and Wales, and also a partner of the English Football League that provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health challenge.

 

 

When Ryder received the note, he was blown away by the gesture.

“WOW, never in a million years did I expect to receive this much attention from this tweet. Thank you so so much for your kind messages, I’m completely overwhelmed with the amount of them,” he tweeted. “Just hope this at least helps one person to speak out about their mental health problems.”

It’s so easy for professional soccer teams to forget about fans while they’re focused on the product they’re putting out on the pitch. Kudos to Gauthier Ganaye for going the extra mile to let another human being know that he cares.