ReachOut Charity Cup 2013

Boys from the ReachOut Academy in Hackney have raised amazing £4000 towards their trip of a lifetime to Barcelona. The boys will head to Spain for five days of football, cultural learning and fun. This is one of several fundraising efforts to subsidise their trip - in total, they will raise nearly £5,000. 

Three time Champions Bloomberg with tournament organisers, the boys from the ReachOut Academy.

The boys, aged 13-14, spent a day and a half planning the tournament, gaining skills by booking referees, buying trophies and equipment, persuading Tesco and Sainsbury’s to donate refreshments, and finalising tournament rules. On the day, they gained experience by meeting and greeting teams, keeping track of scores and conducting an official presentation ceremony.

“It was a really good day and we organised it!" said said Anil Aslan, 14. "In the end the sun was out. It was exciting to watch the football - we’re all going home happy. I've learnt how to organise. We’ve lead the teams. We achieved a lot and did our best. In the end, it was a great day for all of us.”

Charles Opoku, 14, takes his role as Score Keeper very seriously.

Eight teams took part and battled it out in the group stages. ReachOut FC showed an amazing display of staying powerwhen they came back from 4-0 down to draw with UBS 5-5. Teams from Macquarie, Bloomberg and Oliver Wyman made it through to the semi-finals. 

Adam Bonehill, from Bloomberg, said “I just wanted to say a big thanks to ReachOut and the kids for putting together another fantastic tournament.  We all agree it’s one of the sporting highlights of year and I'm sure Sky will be televising it soon. Great to see all of the kids so heavily involved in the organisation/running of the event and creating a cracking atmosphere.  The kids’ speeches and presentations capped off a great evening.”

Macquarie vs. Aspect Capital

The final was close and well fought. A couple of unlucky misses for Macquarie - one hitting the post, another the bar - allowed Bloomberg to pull ahead winning 3-2.

The event was a great success. Players commented that the tournament was really well run and the boys had behaved very professionally throughout.

ReachOut Academy young person David Koko, aged 13, said “It was a great day. We got along and achieved a lot. I've directed people, helped others, and felt like an adult for the first time. I feel really proud. It went well, we've had a great experience.”

Thank you to all who entered a team (Bloomberg, Macquarie, Oliver Wyman, Aspect Capital, Wolfpack, UBS and Sunrise Brokers) and Salt Yard Group who donated our prizes.

Oliver Wyman vs. Wolfpack

Kye Mitchell, 14, delivers the welcome speech and lays down the rules.

Runners up Macquarie celebrate with their medals ... and spurious 'number one' gestures!

The boys from ReachOut will be fundraising around Hackney until the middle of May.  If you would like to support them please get in touch by emailing peter.blackwell@reachoutuk.org