Elliott Rae

Elliott Rae is a husband, dad, speaker, author and founder of MusicFootballFatherhood.com (MFF), the parenting platform for men. MFF is all about open conversations around fatherhood and was described as the ‘Dad’s version of Mumsnet’ by the BBC. Elliott started MFF in 2016 after suffering from PTSD after the traumatic birth of his daughter.

MFF aims to provide a space for dads to share the ups and downs of parenting and promote a positive representation of diverse fatherhood. This is done through our popular blog which has 100s of articles written by dads, the Daddy Debates podcast which hosts in-depth chats with dads about different fatherhood related topics, monthly online peer sessions for new dads called The Lodge and event partnerships with football clubs called Extra Time.

Elliott has previously held senior Diversity, Equity & Inclusion roles, recent positions include the head of race equality in Defra and the Head of D&I delivery at HM Treasury.

Elliott is one of the UK’s most prominent speakers and writers on topics around fatherhood, masculinity, mental health, equal parenting and gender equality. He regularly hosts webinars and workshops with organisations about how they can support working dads, redefine masculinity and create a family-friendly workplace. Recent clients include Ford, Siemans, Co-op, Allen & Overy, BT, HSBC and Glaxo GSK.

Elliott’s work in engaging men in conversations around gender equality has been recognised by the United Nations and he was awarded the UN Women UK’s #HeForShe ‘Changemaker of the Year’ award in 2019. Elliott has written for many mainstream publications and even had his work shared online by none other than ‘The Rock’!

Elliott curated MFF’s first book entitled ‘DAD: untold stories of fatherhood, love, mental health and masculinity which is a deeply moving and inspiring collection of 20 stories that represent the diversity of modern fatherhood and seeks to start a conversation that challenges the traditions associated with masculinity.

DAD was published on Tuesday 1st June 2021. It is an Amazon Top 10 bestseller and a Top 20 bestseller on The Hive. Elliott even managed to hand-deliver a copy of DAD to Prince William.

As a collective, we need to do more to recognise the challenges modern dads face and raise awareness of the prevalence of mental health issues. We need to do more to challenge gendered parenting roles and move away from the concept that caring is for women and being the main breadwinner is for men – those outdated stereotypes are damaging for everyone: men, women and children. Becoming Dad is a programme about love, openness and vulnerability in the quest to be the best dads we can be for our families.”