Muddy Matches - the Country People Dating Site

In response to some of the most commonly-asked questions...

...the truth my friends.

Who is behind Muddy Matches?

Emma "70:30" Reeves 70% Muddy ...and 30% townie.
AND
Lucy "50:50" Reeves 50% Muddy ...and 50% townie.

(Since we're asking you for your photos, we thought it only fair that we post our own mugshots!)

How did we come up with the idea?

Like all great ideas, we came up with this one in a pub ...in London of all places!

Nursing hangovers, we were discussing how popular community, social-networking and dating sites had become and how, through them, lots of our friends had met some quite amusing people. As Emma pointed out though, everyone was just so townie. Even if they weren't, there was no way of telling from your search criteria without chatting to them first and this all seemed a bit time consuming if they could then turn out to be die-hard concrete lovers.

Surely there had to be something out there for people who were into country things? Fuelled with excitement at our brilliant idea (and a little alcohol), we rushed home to see whether such a site existed. They did. But they weren't our idea of fun and so we decided to set about creating something that we would actually join.

This was back in May 2006; by December 2006 we were ready to launch to our friends and friends of friends (and friends of our friends' friends!) and then the full site went live on March 1st 2007.

What's all this muddy business?

One of the first things we realised when developing our idea was that "countryside" and being "country-minded" mean different things to different people. We had to figure out the one underlying thing that unites country-minded people from all walks of life. And the answer was obvious: mud. It doesn't matter whether you like walking or shooting, whether you grew up in the countryside or are just hoping to move there, whether you actually live in the countryside or just like to spend time there; if you think you're country-minded, the only thing you can't have is an aversion to mud! Muddy has, therefore, come to mean "any person who loves the countryside and is not afraid of a bit of mud", and from this we have "a muddy", "muddiness", "muddily", "muddier" and "muddiest"!

Do you have to live in the countryside to join?

No! Although the website is aimed at country-minded people, many of whom will live in the countryside, many modern muddies also have to live in a town or city for work, or may even choose to. Muddy Matches is for anyone who thinks they are in any way muddy, no matter where they live.

What's a Muddy-Townie ratio?

Very few people are 100% muddy or 100% townie. Instead, we believe that there is a sliding scale of muddiness and towniness. Whereas some avoid urban areas at all costs and are probably muddier than mud itself (100:0), lots of country people love the buzz of the city (60:40 perhaps) and many city dwellers would never move to the countryside but love to don their wellies at the weekend (possibly 20:80 or 30:70). Whatever your ratio, wear it like a badge of honour and this will help you find truly like-minded people.

Is it just a dating site?

No! This site is for all muddy people. There are many reasons why someone might want to meet new people apart from for dating. You could be new to an area, returning home from a stint in the city or abroad or just feeling stuck in a rut and wanting to widen your circle of friends. You may have realised that friends' interests and priorities have changed (marriage, kids, jobs, retirement) and, since you're not quite there yet, you'd prefer to take up a new activities and meet a few new people. Whatever you're looking for, we think you'll find our search facility and individual messaging service to be very useful tools.

Do you have to be a certain age to join?

Yes - you have to be over 18! Apart from that, everyone is welcome.

I'm quite choosy about the kind of people I want to meet. How can I make this site work for me?

Well, it's all about the way you search. If you're a man hoping to strike up a bit of romance with a real country girl who won't be put off by your muddy boots lifestyle, make sure you search for girls with a Muddy-Townie ratio of at least 60:40 who have expressed an interest in dating. If, on the other hand, you're a girl looking for a tweed-wearing public school boy who likes shooting, search for a man whose education says public school and whose interests include shooting; then pay close attention to how he describes his dress sense!

Keep in touch!

We are always keen to hear your thoughts on the site and how it's working out for you. So if you have any comments, suggestions, amusing anecdotes or tales of successful matches, please email us at info@muddymatches.co.uk or write to us at Muddy Matches Ltd, Paddock View, Grange Farm, Nr Wellingborough, Northants, NN29 7HJ.