MORE THAN 1,500 locals turned out to enjoy a day of football and scorching sunshine as Laurel Park Football Club hosted their annual fun day.
“The fun day went really well, it was a very positive day for the club and despite the heat the players pushed on to play through it so everyone did very well,” said Laurel Park Chairman Ian Jobson.
“There were eight separate tournaments with over 420 players participating, which started all the way from our Under 6s academy team. We’ve had lots of positive feedback from the parents who attended the event which is always great to hear and it makes it so worthwhile.
Jack Gorringe (8) pleased with his score.
“We had lots of different things going on, including our pre loved football boots stall, where we had collected second hand football boots and donated boots from players and parents which we then sold on to raise money for Bernardos and launch pad, two charities that are very close to the local community.
“We’ve raised a combined total of more than £1,000 in the last three years that we’ve run the stall so it’s been really successful and a fantastic way to raise money.
“There were lots of awards presentations throughout the day as trophies were handed out to the players of each of our teams. It was great to see such a big turnout, which saw over 1,500 people visit throughout the event in our fourth consecutive year of hosting the day at our home on Laurel Park field.
The ice cream queue
“In years previous we’ve had to rent fields but having it at our home is so beneficial as it’s an open public field which means that we get members of the community who have no specific connection with the football club come along to the event.
“There was plenty for the people to enjoy with the various different stalls such as the tombola and the raffle which has helped us form a strong relationship with the local community
“The hot weather presented a challenge and we found ourselves having to re-stock on fluids at various points during the day but overall it was a fantastic day for the club.”
