Over six hundred people, including local youngsters, grassroots football team players, adults, members from Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) UK, and participants from community programmes delivered by Watford Football Club Community Sports and Education Trust (Trust), all played their part in a 24-Hour Football Marathon. Following a final count, with relevant expenses accounted for, this unique event raised an amazing £11,090 for charity. The charity event was hosted on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st May by the Trust, in partnership with AMYA UK, across Vicarage Road Stadium and Watford FC’s Training Ground in London Colney. The event, sponsored by WTW, raised vital funds for both the Trust and fellow charity Humanity First.
Funds raised from the event will be split evenly between the two charities, providing relief for children’s education, home and away. The money raised will go towards supporting the Trust’s mental health and wellbeing primary school programme, which delivers crucial mental health support to young students in Hertfordshire and Harrow. Additionally, the funds will support Humanity First’s clean water solutions for villages in Africa, providing access to clean and safe drinking water and enhancing school facilities and equipment.
The round-the-clock challenge started on Saturday morning at 9.45am with local youngsters as they took to the Vicarage Road pitch for Play Like A Pro with their families watching on from the Sir Elton John Stand.
A tournament was next on the schedule with mixed teams from across the Under 11 and Under 12 age groups competing on the pitch. With the focus being on younger footballers during the morning and early afternoon, it was then the turn of sixteen to eighteen-year-olds. The pitch markings changed to an eleven-a-side match as two of the Trust’s football and education programmes then took to the field, Westfield Football Academy versus Whitmore High School Football and Education Scheme.
With eight hours on the event clock, the players increased in age once again, with ten adult teams taking over for the final slot at Vicarage Road, including ‘The WTW Warriors’ representing event sponsors WTW and Trust programmes Shape Up and Man On.
As the sun set on Vicarage Road, the metaphorical half-time whistle was blown, and the event made a transfer to Watford Football Club’s Training Ground for the second half.
The first action to take place in the Dome at the training ground was a mini-under-eighteens-tournament organised by the Trust’s PL Kicks programme. It was now the early hours of the morning and event partner AMYA UK took over, taking on the biggest slot of the night with a range of players from across their association’s network. A fantastic effort from each and every one of them.
Into the final stages of this challenging feast of football then and Croxley Green Under 7s and Universal Elite Football Academy Under 8s were up to the task with sessions in the Dome as the penultimate action to take place.
To bring the event to a close in a session full of bright Watford FC yellow were the players from the Trust’s Player Development Centres. As the games came to an end and the clock struck noon, the players gave a big cheer and the 24-Hour Football Marathon was complete!
Thank you to the whole community for playing your part in a fun-filled day of football and philanthropy, to help make a positive difference in communities, home and away.
Leah Crocket, the Trust’s Events & Marketing Officer, said of the event:
“Congratulations and thank you to all the players, team managers and spectators for playing their part in a wonderful two days of football and raising an amazing £11,000 plus for two extremely good causes. Thank you must also go to our event sponsors WTW, our friends at AMYA UK, and of course, the many staff and volunteers who helped before and during the marathon, this would not have been possible without their support.”
The regional youth leader of the Hertfordshire chapter of AMYA UK Saeed Nazir, said:
“Islam teaches us that serving humanity is an essential part of our faith. Through such events, as well as fulfilling our religious obligations, we get to bring communities and youth together and have fun playing football whilst raising much-needed funds for various children’s charities. The event was a huge success, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Watford FCCSE Trust in the future.”
Chairman of Humanity First UK, Dr Aziz Hafiz said:
“We are pleased the event went really well, everyone had fun and together, we raised over £11000 that will help thousands of children here in the UK and in Africa by providing clean water solutions.”
