Alcester Town all set for big football fundraiser
NEARLY 1,000 juniors will descend on Alcester Town this weekend as a hugely popular youth football festival makes a welcome return to the calendar.
A total of 96 teams ranging from U7s to U14s across south Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Birmingham will be competing in the annual tournament which takes place on Saturday and Sunday.
This is the first time since 2019 the Romans have been able to host the fundraiser due to Covid-19.
On average the tournament raises between £8,000 and £10,000, a vital cash injection which helps the club purchase new equipment and boost the playing facilities at the Stratford Road Ground.
Having missed out on two years’ worth of crucial cash, club chiefs are excited for the youth tournament’s return this weekend.
Joint event organiser Gary Williams told the Herald: “Because of what happened over the last two years with Covid-19 we were a little worried that we might not fill the 96 slots, however, by February everything was filled.
“Recently we had three teams pull out but thankfully we managed to get those filled to give us one less headache to worry about. Organising an event like this certainly takes a lot of work and planning.
“We’ve had to sort out 48 referees to cover the four sessions across the two days, we’ve got a small army of volunteers helping out with refreshments, the scoring, car parking and the fundraising.
“Over the course of the two days there will be nearly 1,000 juniors coming to our club to play in the tournament.
“When you factor in family members and friends, there’s going to be more than 2,500 people heading to Alcester this weekend. Our annual youth tournament is probably the fifth biggest event in the town after all the markets and food festivals we have.”
He added: “This is our biggest fundraiser and it contributes to around 50 per cent of what we raise in a year.
“When you consider what else we do to bring funds in, the youth tournament is huge for us and without it, it makes life difficult. Without the funds this tournament brings in you can’t buy the equipment you need to advance the club.”
Two cancelled tournaments due to the pandemic means the Romans have missed out on a potential £20,000.
It’s a huge amount of money and given how it’s spent on improving facilities, Williams told the Herald the club has had to “make do” with what they’ve got during that time.
“We probably spend over £1,000 in new footballs every year because the ones we have either get lost or need replacing, but you have to think about cutting back the spending when you don’t get that income from the youth tournament,” he said.
“When it comes to replacing some of the goals which are showing some wear and tear, we’ve just had to make do. The money we raise from the tournament goes to anything that will benefit the kids, but without that over the past two years it has been a case of making do.”
Each youth tournament is centred around a theme and this year it will be the World Cup.
Before the festival gets under way there will be a draw to decide which team will represent which country.
Williams said having a theme adds an extra element to the event: “If a team gets drawn as Argentina, everyone will want to pretend they’re Lionel Messi.”
Anyone who can help volunteer across the two days should get in touch with Gary Williams on 07766 664289.