Unlike Match of the
Day, Match for a Day is not a TV show. If it were, Jack Bauer would be all
over it, as it involves a whopping 24 hours of greatness. Set up by Ambassadors in Sport (AIS), the footballing event starts at
10am on June 7 and ends at precisely the same time on June 8.
On the day, an AIS team will play against a new fresh
team every hour at The London Soccerdome, a dedicated indoor football arena. Event
sponsor State Street Bank has already agreed to put in a team, as have The
Salvation Army Stratford and Frinton Free Church Essex.
Special guests at the event will include former
Portsmouth FC defender Linvoy Primus, who will share his personal story and
information about his latest project (www.linvoyprimus.com) as well as doing some serious
talking on the pitch.
“When I was told about Match for the Day, I thought to
myself, ‘That sounds cool and challenging’, and I wanted to hear more,” Linvoy
tells Sorted.
“Once I heard the details, I expressed a desire to take
part. The idea of playing football for 24 hours sounds crazy, but what a way to
raise money for my ministry and charity.
“I've also asked a couple of ex-pros if they want to get
involved – Dave Waterman, formerly of Portsmouth FC, and Trevor Benjamin,
formerly of Leicester FC – and they have agreed to take part for their own
personal charities.
“Since I retired from football, I'm always looking for
new physical and unique challenges, and this is up there.”
The two AIS teams will play in two-hour shifts, having
just enough time to rest before they get back on the pitch. Teams will comprise
eight players on half a full-sized AstroTurf pitch.
“At AIS our dreams are to see the lives of marginalised
and vulnerable individuals and communities changed positively for good through
football,” says organiser Stephen Read.
“The beautiful game provides a way of reaching out to
people from all sorts of backgrounds in a non-threatening way. This builds a
trusting environment where life-changing decisions can be made. We have sought
to pioneer and develop exciting grassroots educational initiatives, focused
around football, to transform people’s lives.
“These programmes include football club development,
academies, soccer schools, tournaments, and work in prisons and schools as we
seek to help young people, youth offenders, adults, the homeless and the
marginalised.”
If you’d like to get involved, cost per team ranges from
£150 per team to £350 (depending on the time slot you choose), and this
includes post-match refreshments. If you want to go a step further (and avoid
the hard graft) you could become a corporate sponsor. Packages range from kit
sponsorship (£500) through to full event and naming rights (£4,000).
Read more from Joy in the next issue of Christian men's magazine Sorted.
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