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BEHIND THE STRIPES

Martin Chadwick and The Faction

By Atlanta United FC

October 5^th, 2022

The origin story of The Faction takes place in a pub in the Decatur neighborhood of Oakhurst. At a local bar back in 2016, a close-knit group of friends and neighbors sat around a table, dreaming up what would eventually become one of Atlanta United’s four official supporters groups. The folks there knew what they were about, community and giving, so they sought to create a mission devoted to their values and ideas.

What they needed was a visual brand that encapsulated all this, a logo to express their identity. The first ideas were scrawled on napkins, right there on the sticky pub table. Then, they called on one of their friends to help them out. Martin Chadwick fit right in with the group. He became one of the original members of The Faction, a neighbor who lived just three doors down. The designer got to work, trying to find the right look for this nascent supporters group that consisted of Kevin Kinley and Mark Knipfer, who were there those early days and went on to become co-founders of The Faction.

“We told him our feel of who we are and what we're about,” Kinley recalled. “He came up with a couple of different things and we were like, ‘Almost, but not really.’ And then he came up with something that everybody was like, ‘Man, that's freaking awesome.’ That's the one.”

Chadwick took the group’s wholesome ideas and, with care, brought it to life with a singular, strong and pretty awesome looking “A” that members of The Faction and fans outside of supporter groups recognize to this day.

His contributions live on not only through the imagery he created, but the memories he gave as a loyal friend.

“Martin was a big part of our lives in that sense, but he was also just a great person to be around and somebody that just really gave everything and would do anything for you,” Kinley said. “It's like one of those friends that it didn't matter how much of a friend you were of him, he would do anything for you.”

“He was your friend, and he was a deep friend,” Knipfer added.

So, when Chadwick passed away in 2018, just after Atlanta United’s first away game of the season, his friends were devastated. The loss was deeply felt by members of The Faction. The group grieved and wondered if they could’ve done anything differently to help him. It left his friends with painful questions, uncertainties they still grapple with four years later.

“To be honest with you, I think some of us knew some of the challenges he had in terms of what he was going through, but I don't think many of us, if any of us, knew the depth and just the nature of it altogether. And the thing is we don't know if that means he didn't have the support he needed. We don't know,” Knipfer said.

The uncertainty gave them a passion to learn more about mental health. They asked themselves how they can stop this from happening again to friends who are wonderful and caring like Chadwick – and how they can help others outside of their own group who might be struggling.

“We decided to start giving as part of our philanthropy as The Faction. We started to look at how can we honor Martin and how we can support his legacy,” Kinley said.

1 in 5 Americans live with a mental health condition.

The group looked into supporting the local mental health community in and around them. Their dedication went toward not only adult mental health but toward helping children and teenagers too. Two of the primary organizations The Faction supports are Joe’s Fund and the Brighter DeKalb Foundation, which are geared toward providing support toward behavioral and mental health.

“Our goal with this is to highlight this as an issue of a really dear friend, somebody who meant a lot to us and had played a part in The Faction from the beginning,” Knipfer said. “Even more importantly, he has a daughter who’s the age of our children. And his family's been in the neighborhood. We're neighbors, we're community and so raising those issues, giving to organizations that we give to do direct work, both for youth in the Decatur schools as well as adults in Brighter DeKalb, it’s important to us to be a part of that and to honor Martin.”

Joe’s Fund was created to honor Joe Bodine, a kind and charismatic high school graduate from Decatur High School who lost his battle to addiction in 2016. Joe’s Fund, which is the behavioral health fund of the Decatur Education Foundation, supports behavioral health for students and their families.

Learn more about Joe’s Fund

Their philanthropy taught members of The Faction even more about mental health and gave them an understanding beyond statistics. They realized someone who seems okay on the outside may not be on the inside. Now, they’re talking about it more and shining a light on the issue, trying to shave off the stigma. They support those organizations that allow and help people share their feelings and struggles.

“We need somebody to go talk to, we need a safe space, we need a safe person or something,” Knipfer said. “That's what we're trying to do is highlight the importance of acknowledging it, not putting a stigma to it and realizing that if we don't do something about these things, we could have more friends that pass away and worse. So, for us it’s a very key part of why we started The Faction.”

“This hits close to home for many, if not almost everybody, out there. Somebody knows somebody with a mental health issue. And I think what we're seeing today is that it's no longer taboo to talk about.”

Perhaps one of the the most important things Kinley and Knipfer realized is how to talk more openly about mental health struggles.

“I think what we've learned is that we know that we can make more of a difference by talking about these things that touch more people than perhaps people perceive. And I think, maybe not so much have learned it, but have realized that we can make a bigger difference by talking about it and promoting it,” Knipfer said.

The Brighter DeKalb Foundation supports the needs of individuals living with mental illness, addiction and developmental disabilities.

Learn more about the Brighter Dekalb Foundation.

43.8 million adults experience mental illness in a given year.

Kinley and Knipfer, who both knew Chadwick well, are passionate leaders for this cause. They ask themselves questions like: How do we get more people involved? What can we do to raise awareness? What are some of the signals and signs we see? What are some of the symptoms? What information out there has been largely swept under the rug that we can no longer continue to ignore?

The Faction is a group built on community – going all the way back to those early days in a Decatur pub. And through community, they can make a bigger difference than anyone could make alone.

“We have a network,” Knipfer said. “Through social, through The Faction, through our membership, and when that membership grows and for all those people, it's six degrees of separation. What can we do with anything we want to do to make a difference? And this is one of those key pieces that we really want to focus on.”

“The Faction, although it's sport-adjacent, is about community. It’s about the things we can do in our philanthropic endeavors as a nonprofit to really center around, not just sport and soccer and football, but around the kids and around the community. Then, that extends to the welfare of those around you.”

Mental health plays an important role in the modern world. The ramifications of living during a pandemic, enduring life in self-isolation, has created a more urgent need for connection and self-care.

“I don't want to be as melodramatic as saying it's an inflection point, but it's certainly an opportunity or an opportunity for us to come out and gird ourselves to try harder. We've got to, right? Because if we don't, there are going to be people that suffer and people like Martin who may need help right now, and we don't know it and what can we do to help. Now is the time when the people who need the help really need it the most,” Knipfer said.

And it’s not just adults who are affected by mental health struggles, but kids too.

“There’s going to be papers written a decade from now there's going to be tons of research on what happened to middle school, elementary school, high school and even college kids that came out of the pandemic. I mean, what effect did that have?” Knipfer said. “We think kids are resilient, but I know my kids, it changed who they are to not be in school for a year, to the remote learn. And when you're growing like that, it's so important that their brains are being exposed and their minds are being opened. That social interaction is so key.”

In grades 6-12 in Decatur, 27 percent of female students and 16 percent of males have seriously considered harming themselves in the last six months.

Chadwick’s friends do this in honor of him – and knowing that he would be behind them 110 percent, just as he was for Halloween. It was one of their favorite holidays to celebrate together. The group would go over to Kinley’s house, and Chadwick would be there on the porch. Sometimes he’d be blending in somewhere to get off a good scare. Other times, he was in a full body suit dressed like a zombie. He’d paint the kids’ faces and encourage everyone to go all-out for the occasion.

“He was all-in, but it wasn't just about him, it was about everything around him,” Knipfer said. “It's about the experience, about being part of whatever everybody with going through and happening around us and living in that moment. And being a part of that moment and driving that moment forward and bringing a fun element within that moment. So this [Mental Health Awareness] month and these donations mean a lot to us for that reason.”

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. It’s a major contributor to the global burden of disease. About 7 percent of American adults live with major depression.

In the U.S., there are periods during the year devoted to raising awareness for the cause. Mental Health Awareness Month is observed in May and Mental Illness Awareness Week is the first week of October.

For the match on May 28 against Columbus Crew, Atlanta United invited The Faction to remember Chadwick by having members of the supporter group carry the Golden Spike into the Gulch before the match. The stadium called attention to Mental Health Awareness month with an announcement prior to kickoff, an honor they’ve made every year since Chadwick passed away to raise awareness.

Knowing how much Chadwick meant to his friends, his memory serves to help others – and his friends know he would’ve been proud of the work they’re doing in his honor. His life has already created a legacy as strong and sure and proud as the “A” he designed.

"He would have been right there with us," Kinley said. "He would have been the champion of it. I think about him all the time and he would have really been there. I think he would be more of a friend of people. A lot of people don't like to talk about their feelings. They like to keep them inside. Martin was a person that would get you to talk about your feelings. And as much time as I spent with him before he passed, he would talk about his feelings. But he had inner darker feelings that no one knew about. So, if we can keep talking to people and keep giving them support and to know that you're there for them and somebody is there, whether it's some anonymous person on the end of a suicide hotline or a teacher or your grandmother or your aunt or just a coach, someone… I think he would really champion that and he would be right at the front."

"It's important to emphasize that just because Martin had his own mental health issues does not mean that he didn't help other people, because he was very supportive and he was a great friend and he was just there for so many," Knipfer said. "But sometimes those people who are so good for others aren't always helped, can't help themselves, don't know how to or whatever it may be. I have no idea. We just know that he had his own issues. And so, we have to remember that. It's one thing we talked about too is that just because somebody has a diagnosed issue, or an undiagnosed issue, problem or is self-diagnosed even, whatever it may be, it doesn't mean that they are forever stained or not able to do good things or that they'll be an unproductive member of society. It just means that they need help beyond their own help. And different people need different things. But Martin would’ve been a total champion. I mean, he would have been right here with us talking about it if it had been anybody else. And so, in the end that's probably one of the things that puts a smile on our faces rather than a tear in our eyes, or both at the same time, is that we know that he would have been all about this."

If you or someone you know has a mental illness, is struggling emotionally or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Use these resources to find help for you, a friend or a family member.

The Lifeline

The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Support is also available in English via live chat.

Call or text 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Para ayuda en español llame al 988.

The Crisis Text hotline

The Crisis Text hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the U.S. The Crisis Text Line serves anyone, in any type of crisis, connecting them with a crisis counselor who can provide support and information.