24 hours of football for Hope FC
At 12 noon on Friday 7th September, Ambassadors in Sport kicked off Match for a Day 2008 at the David Beckham Academy in Greenwich. The AIS team played 24 teams for 50 minutes each, amounting to a marathon 24 hours of football!
The event raised over £4000 which will be shared between the work of AIS South Africa with their prison ministry project and in London through our Hope FC project. Members of the Hope FC homeless team (Whitechapel Genesis) formed one of the opposition teams playing alongside Lee Sharpe (ex-England and ex-Manchester United winger).
Lee Sharpe (second from right, top row) with members of the Hope FC team at the David Beckham Academy
Through the generous support of the Jack Petchey Foundation in supplying Ambassadors in Sport with a grant of £9300 Hope FC has been able to employ a project co-ordinator to work in Hackney and Tower Hamlets with young offenders, disaffected youth and those dealing with homelessness, providing top quality football coaching surrounded by positive role models and an encouraging and mentoring environment. One of our players, Jay, who joined us through the Whitechapel Mission, when talking about the team said ‘It is just what I need, something to look forward to each week and keep my mind off all the terrible things that have happened in my life recently.’
Hope FC is living up to it’s name – establishing a range of football clubs that provide community and hope to those involved.
