Information on Loughborough

Beat officer from Charnwood organises summer holiday football tournament

Posted on 23/07/2008

Teams of young people from 10 villages across Charnwood are taking part in a summer football tournament which has been organised by a neighbourhood beat officer.

PC 1993 Gordon Doudie, the beat officer for Birstall, has organised the first tournament called the ‘Charnwood Community Shield' on Saturday 26th July 2008.  It will take place from 10am until 6pm at the Soar Valley Leisure Centre in Mountsorrel.  10 teams will be taking part and the winning team will get to spend a day at a paint-balling centre as a prize.  There is also a prize for the person selected as the ‘Player of Tournament' which will be a £100 gift voucher of their choice.

Teams from Birstall, Quorn, Barrow, East Goscote, Syston, Sileby, Mountsorrel, Anstey, Thurmaston and Rothley are competing.  The winners may also get the chance to play against a team of local police officers!

The teams are made up of young people who have come into contact with the police either through their regular patrols or through intervention work such as Acceptable Behaviour Contracts.  The youngsters have all been told that anyone who comes to the attention of the police three times between now and the tournament will not be allowed to play.

PC Doudie said; "The kids have really loved the idea of the football tournament and we've got a mixture of boys and girls playing.  Some of the girls have also asked if they can put a cheerleading squad together and we've got a little bit of funding from the Charnwood Borough Council ASB Steering Group to buy them some pompoms.  We've also persuaded local companies to donate bibs and balls and the Leisure Centre has kindly let us rent the pitch at a reduced price.

"I've certainly noticed that a lot of young people on my beat are really looking forward to it and are all very keen to play.  If it proves a success this year, I am hoping we can get teams together from across Leicestershire and have a Force wide tournament in 2009."

Issued on 23/07/08 at 09:00