Tommy McLafferty Cup 2014
WHEN Tommy McLafferty died in 2009, friends who had met him on the streets of Cambridge decided to organize an event in his memory – a football tournament bearing his name was the obvious choice as everyone knew of his love of the game and the time he spent as a coach with the Scottish giants Celtic.
On Sunday 29 June 2014, the 5th annual Tommy McLafferty Cup, a 5-a-side football tournament involving organisations working within the homeless sector in and around Cambridge, was held at the Abbey Astro pitch.
Jointly organised by the Rotary Club of South Cambridge, Cambridge Link-Up and Winter Comfort for the Homeless, the 2014 tournament attracted eight teams representing Jimmy's Nightshelter, Emmaus, Winter Comfort, Winston House, 222 Victoria Road, Cangle Foyer, Rotary Club of Cambridge South and friends and the Cambs Police.
The weather forecast was for a mainly dry day with the possibility of a shower - what a shower – it seemed to last almost all day. After a pre-tournament sandwich lunch and a warm-up session for all participating players, the first games kicked off at 1.00 pm. Three coaches from Cambridge United Youth and Community trust (sponsored by the David Ball Group) together with Iain Bachelor acted as referees for the afternoon.
All the games were very competitive and played in a true sporting spirit, and in a closely contested final, Wintercomfort overcame Jimmy’s to reclaim the trophy, which was presented by Henry Brown, CEO of Jimmy’s.
Anthony Leckie and Patrick Cofley both of Jimmys won the Player of the Tournament Trophy, whilst Sonny Mathews of Wintercomfort received the Brian Turner Goalkeeper of the Tournament award. All the players of these two teams received medals.
As we have done in previous years, it is our privilege to welcome the two teams to the game this afternoon and they will be introduced to you all on the pitch at half time.
It was also a particular privilege back in May, to run a coach to Wembley for some of the Homeless folk in and around the city to share in the excitement of the Play-off Final. One of those attending said that we had made his dreams come true!
With both initiatives, we worked closely with Mike Smith of the South Cambridge Rotarians and Emma Hyde of Cambridge Link-Up, a homeless-led community group that helps build self-esteem, improve self-confidence and help empower people towards integration with mainstream society. This afternoon, Cambridge Link-up will be collecting at the gates – please give generously to support their work.
Cambridge Untied would like to thank those who helped fund the trip to Wembley, and to the David Ball Group for their on-going support of the Community Trust’s involvement in the Tournament.