Football Marathon 2023 Roundup- A Recap of This Year’s Sport and Fundraising Action. 

With the echoes of cheering fans still ringing in our ears, we are reflecting on the wonderful conclusion of the 2023 Football Marathon. This year’s event once again proved the incredible power of teamwork, dedication, and community support, leaving an unforgettable mark on both participants and the communities we work with. 

Amidst this year’s passion and dedication, the collective efforts of all involved yielded an impressive £178,000—a resounding success that will fuel our programmes across the three African regions where we work for the next year. 

Throughout this year’s FMs, familiar faces graced the field, leading their teams to victory. Royce Pierreson, recognized for his role as Istredd in the hit series “The Witcher,” showcased his leadership skills beyond the screen and former professional footballer Clinton Morrison also joined for his 7^th appearance, inspiring both teammates and opponents alike in the spirit of football for a great cause. 

You can also have a closer VAR-style replay of Football Marathon highlights this year by checking out our Veo Live but for now, let’s have a closer look at the 2023 editions of the Tackle Football Marathon that took place across five different cities and the amazing efforts of all who participated.

Bristol 
Bristol’s Football Marathon kicked off on 3^rd June under sunny skies, setting the stage for an action-packed day! 

A whopping 71 games took place within 12 hours. Team NW5 Youth Team (NW5) emerged as the ultimate scoring champs, netting a jaw-dropping 89 goals.  

Team Oldman Athletic however, put up quite the fight as they showed off their defensive prowess, conceding only 18 goals throughout the entire event.  

The grand finale saw NW5 facing off against Powerpodz in an epic showdown, ultimately NW5 triumphed with a 4-2 victory. 

Off the field, the first fundraising win went to Oldman Athletic who pulled in an impressive £3,861. The team also boasted the participation of Royce Pierreson of the Netflix series The Witcher making the event extra special. Overall, Bristol raised a remarkable total of over £17,000 solidifying a heartwarming win for a great cause. It will be exciting to see more teams taking part in the coming years and see the fundraiser grow next year. 

London 

On 17^th June, the London Football Marathons took place, featuring 201 games and a total of 780 goals scored, an impressive average of 3.88 goals per game. 

Team Multiple Scoregasms emerged as the undefeated champions of the first group stage, winning all seven of their matches in dominant fashion. 

However, Bladdy Love Soccer and Kew Park Rangers advanced to the final after conquering their respective groups in round 2, setting the stage for an epic showdown. But it was Kew Park Rangers who ultimately secured their second tournament victory in three years after a heart-pounding penalty shootout.  

The tournament was also a fundraising success, with Patrick Swayze-Land raising an impressive £6,128, with the entire London Football Marathon raising a grand total of £64,000 for Tackle.  

Jersey 

Over in Jersey, a grand total of 511 goals were scored throughout the 111 games played that day. Team Nontes for Africa held the lead scoring an impressive 70 goals throughout the entire day. They were also a defensive powerhouse, conceding a mere 9 goals throughout the day and sealing their net as a no-entry zone! 

The final was a fiery showdown, as they battled it out against Kenya Feel It! Ultimately, team Nontes secured a win with a 3-1 victory, emerging champions yet again, securing their victory for the third consecutive year. 

Off the pitch, team Fatzio were the top fundraiser, raising an impressive £4,052 for Tackle followed by Kenya Feel It, trailing right behind with £2940. Add those totals to the remarkable efforts of the other amazing football teams of the Jersey FM and Jersey raised a grand total of £24,074. Amazing! 

Brighton 

283 games took place in Brighton on the 22^nd of June, delivering an astounding total of 1007 goals throughout the day averaging 3.57 goals per game.  

Inter Mivan held a strong lead with an impressive 4-goal lead within the opening 5 minutes. Yet, Mortal Combat, fuelled by their dedicated 7-player squad, mounted a sensational comeback. The final score? A thrilling 7-4 victory that crowned Inter Mivan as the champion. 

Team Generation Press remains the undefeated Football Marathon fundraising champion, as this year they once again dominated fundraising in all 5 cities brilliantly raising £ 11,238 cementing their place as the top fundraiser on the Football Marathon Hall of Fame! Congratulations Generation Press, we are incredibly grateful.

And speaking of champions, off the field, The Brighton Football Marathon conquered the fundraising game, amassing a remarkable £68,000! Halftime: 

Let’s momentarily step away from the football frenzy to examine how the dedicated efforts across fundraising contributed to our programmes. 

From supporting the purchase of HIV testing kits to the translation of the material we use to deliver sessions into local languages; Football Marathon funds go a long way in supporting the work done by the coaches in the different communities where we work. Here is a video from Tackle Coach, James letting us know how much your support counts: 

And now back to the FM highlights… 

Oxford 

The final whistle for the Football Marathons blew at the Oxford Football Marathon on the 28th of July, closing out with 98 games. Across the day, 354 goals were scored, amounting to a rate of 3.4 goals per game. 

Team Witney Royals were in a league of their own when it came to finding the back of the net, racking up 87 goals throughout the event. However, there was stiff competition from Galacticos who held a strong defence, letting only 29 goals slip past them all day long. The strong defence proved too much for Witney Royals who did not advance to the final.  

Instead, the final game was a nail-biter between Galacticos and VaVa Voom. Galacticos went one up with a cracker from 15 yards out, only to lose a bit of focus and concede right after. With chances going to and fro, neither team could quite find the back of the net, leading us straight to the drama of penalties. The tension peaked when Charlie Gamble, the man of the hour, stepped up for VaVa Voom, only to see his penalty saved. But Galacticos faltered, missing two out of three goals, and as a result, handing VaVa Voom a double victory both in fundraising and on the field as they raised £1,825. 

A big congrats to Charlie Gamble, who, after a whopping 42 attempts in his Football Marathon history, finally claimed his first Football Marathon win, solidifying his place in the Tackle Football Marathon Hall of Fame and proving that good things do come to those who wait. 

As the final whistle of Football Marathons blows signalling the end of another successful season, the memory of exciting goals, heart-stopping moments, and good times with good friends lingers in the air. Football Marathon season wasn’t just about the games; it was a celebration of community, charity, and the sheer joy of the beautiful game! 

We want to say thank you to every individual who participated, every person who donated, every organisation that sponsored a pitch, all volunteers who lent their hand to this great cause, and programme participants and coaches who cheered on our football captains and their teams along the way. Thank you. You are all winners.  

Let’s close out with a big round of applause for this year’s football captains, in no particular order: