As we prepare to mark the five-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, we were pleased to be able to support the recent Grenfell Memorial Cup.
Taking place at Queens Park Rangers’ Loftus Road home on Saturday 21 May, over 4000 local people enjoyed the event with competitors of all ages on the pitch.
And ahead of the event, the FA provided 12 Nike matchday balls and 36 training balls for children while the Middlesex FA provided referees and officials for thoughout the day.
In addition to that, we made a £5000 donation to contribute towards Level One and Two coaching courses and refereeing courses for a group of local people which could potentially be the start of a road to employment.
On Tuesday 14 June, we will once again show our support with the Wembley Stadium arch going green in memory of the 72 people who died and for the survivors and those affected.
The Grenfell Memorial Cup was the brainchild of Paul Menacer, a survivor who played in the original Game 4 Grenfell, and the aim is to use sport as a positive community activity during what is a very difficult time for the local area.
“It was an emotional day for me on a personal level,” said Menacer.
“Days like this are amazing - we gave 650 people the chance to play on a world-class professional pitch. We had a kids’ session in the morning, a youth session, a mental health men’s and women’s session with Minds United football club, a veteran session, eight-a-side local team tournament, a celebrity game versus local people from North Kensington and a bereaved survivors team taking on people from the blue lights.
“I think the Grenfell Memorial Cup has done wonders for many, many people and kids especially will look back on this day in years to come.
“Days like this bring the community together. It also encourages people to remember the reasons why we need to stay united."
