On Wednesday 17th July, Accrington Stanley Sports Hub had the pleasure of hosting the first annual Champions Football Tournament. Nine community trusts from across Lancashire, including Accrington, were invited to the Sports Hub to take part in the day.
Teams representing Accrington, AFC Fylde, Blackburn, Blackpool Burnley, Fleetwood, Morecambe, Preston and Wigan had to participate in a series of six games in a round robin stage which saw Blackpool, Wigan, Fleetwood and Blackburn progress to the semi-finals. A Fylde Coast Derby saw Blackpool and Fleetwood battle it out in the final with Fleetwood emerging victorious after a dominating 5-2 victory. In total, 70 young people from across Lancashire took part in the tournament with the team representing Fleetwood Community Trust taking home the trophy.
The event was held to celebrate the achievements of young people across Lancashire who are currently enrolled on or have recently completed their Champions programme. Champions is a mentoring scheme for 10-25 year olds with a focus on the prevention and reduction of offending behaviour. Backed by the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network, the programme is currently in it’s fifth year and has helped young people across Lancashire make positive changes to their lifestyles.
Programme leader, David Clarke, was present at the event and handed over the trophy to Fleetwood. Before the presentation began, he spoke highly of the day stating that “it has been a privilege to watch you all entertain us and work together to create something special”. He also thanked mentors from each community trust for their dedication to their clients and working collaboratively to ensure the day ran as smoothly as possible. “The work you do makes a massive difference to young people across Lancashire and you should all be very proud of yourselves”.
To find out more about the Champions programme and the work our mentors do, please contact one of our Champions mentors via email.
Millie Hall millie.hall@teamchampions.co.uk
Courtney Picot courtney.picot@teamchampions.co.uk