Sports

COMMUNITY FOOTBALL: Gloucester Cathedral starting to celebrate World Cup festivities

To some people, football is a part of life, something you can’t go without, a religion in some respects. Well Gloucester Cathedral have found a way of making football a key fixture on their agenda.

With the World Cup in Russia just 34 days away, they are opening their doors to host a five-a-side football tournament for boys and girls across Gloucestershire – just after the world renowned competition begins.

Although a cathedral isn’t the most common venue for a football competition, their MUGA (or multi-use games area) will provide more than enough room for games, skill sessions and a day filled with football.

This won’t be the first time a cathedral has hosted a sports event either as the Sainsbury School Games have taken place in Gloucester’s Nave for the last few years.

School-aged children can sign-up their teams online (which is strongly advised) or arrive on the day for the tournament and need a minimum of five players but no more than eight, with a £5 entry fee for each side.

On the Diocese of Gloucester website, their secretary Ben Preece-Smith spoke about the tournament:

“We want to show young people that the cathedral is for them as much as everyone else.”

With free refreshments and a variety of activities on offer throughout the day, it is sure to be an exciting afternoon which could encourage more children to play and enjoy sports in the future thanks to the work done by the Gloucester Cathedral, Psalms and Scripture Union to make this happen.

Andy Poole, the project manager of the event believes that hosting the football in the cathedral could improve children’s participation, not just in football, but in a variety of sports and although some have opposed to the idea of having a sporting event in a place of worship, it has received overwhelming support.

Poole said: “We would love the children and young people to get more involved in all sports and, where possible on the day, we want to be able to connect them to as many clubs as possible.

“Overall there has been overwhelming support of the event which is brilliant. People have been volunteering their time to help or referee the games. There has been one or two voices raised in opposition but the team is from the stand point that the church is open to everyone.”

There will be five different tournament for each different age group and gender with one game having two teams, each with a mix of boys and girls, competing against each other:

  1. 10am – 12pm: Mixed gender aged 4 – 6 years.
  2. 12:30pm – 3:30pm: Girls aged 7 – 9 years.
  3. 12:30pm – 3:30pm: Boys aged 7 – 9 years.
  4. 5:30pm – 8pm: Girls aged 10 – 13 years.
  5. 5:30pm – 8pm: Boys aged 10 – 13 years.

Activities and facilities are as follows:

  • Specialised indoor pitch
  • Speed shooting
  • Football cage
  • Football workshops
  • Live streams of the football tournament (World Cup) matches