Champions League Winners

Manchester United may have lost to a mesmeric Barcelona side, but Coping Through Football can boast its own winners. Three of Coping Through Football’s regular participants won the ultimate prize – free premier tickets for the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley. It capped a wonderful week which began when the Coping Through Football group was invited to participate in the Champions Festival in Hyde Park.

During the lead up to the Final the FA was invited by UEFA to deliver a programme of activity to reflect the scope of its grassroots work. LPFF was selected by FA National Disability Manager, Jeff Davis, to showcase the groundbreaking Coping Through Football project.

On Monday 23rd May a total of thirty players from Coping Through Football and Arsenal’s Imagine Your Goals project took part in a five-a-side tournament on one of the temporary artificial pitches that had been set up especially for the event. After two hours of pulsating football NELFT Chair, Jane Atkinson presented the trophy donated by UEFA to the winning team.

In addition to the matches the players were also able to take part in a world record attempt launched by UEFA Champions Festival ambassador Graeme Le Saux which saw 417 people lift the Champions League trophy in an hour, smashing the previous record of 250 trophy lifts. It was a unique experience for them to get their hands on a trophy that has been lifted by the greatest players in the world. To round off the day the group was photographed with the trophy.

Project Coordinator Matt Howard-Jones remarked that “many of the clients rarely venture out of the borough, let alone travel into central London to take an active part in such a high profile event, so in terms of recovery and social inclusion the experience could not be bettered”. For the participants it was simply a great day, many saying that it was a fantastic, positive experience.

Alex Welsh said: “Being selected by the FA to participate in the Champions Festival is a great honour and a real recognition of the contribution that Coping Through Football can make in transforming the lives of one of society’s most marginalised groups.”

Two of the clients were rewarded for visiting all the exhibitor stands at the Festival by each winning a pair of tickets to the Champions League Final. For one client who had never been to Wembley Stadium, witnessing Barcelona v Manchester United in such a high profile match was “an amazing experience; the best football match I’ve ever been to”. They were both also fortunate to receive an official matchball to take home as a souvenir of a fantastic evening.