This article first appeared on The Voice website on 7 July 2021 – https://www.voice-online.co.uk/sport/football/2021/07/07/play-for-the-memory-tournament-raises-funds-for-key-causes-within-the-community/
BARNET FC’S The Hive, recently played host to a remarkable football tournament now in its sixth year. This innovative event is known throughout London by many people, players and spectators simply as Play For The Memory.
Play For The Memory attracts professional sports stars, mentors of communities, charitable organisations, youth clubs, friends, families and teams from far and wide.
Play For The Memory hosted their first tournament in 2015. Michael Donaldson and Richard Allicock founded the organisation Thru Sport / Thru Life In 2004 they then each went and mastered their craft; whilst still running mentoring programmes and sports courses at a low level.
Michael went into player development, working with young players transitioning to become professional footballers. As the assistant head of player development he worked at the Tottenham Hotspur Academy nurturing players such as Dane Scarlett, Nile John, Oliver Skipp, TJ Eyoma to name a few. After 14 years In player development he now heads up the Reading’s under-18s football team.
Richard mastered his craft in the community. He became the community face of Haringey, the face of the highly successful inner city programme Kickz which was rolled out nationally at every Premier League club to engage young people and ensure their reduction in crime and gangs were reduced significantly. Richard was, and still is, instrumental at the youth level of family support and mentoring which sees him working solely in this area for Thru Life linking In with local authorities with the huge need for drive, change and support for young people.
Learning much of these needed skillsets in their demanding roles saw the pair utilise, refine and polish their skills ready to launch their programmes.
Play For The Memory is one close to Michael’s heart. After suffering bereavements of two close friends he realised that although many people want to do something in remembering their loved lost ones its incredibly difficult to put it into a reality.
He reached out to teams who had also suffered bereavements and invited them to come and Play For The Memory of a loved lost one. It was quickly realised, that some people needed help with medical treatment so he attempted to raise money and teams then started to enter to raise awareness about rare conditions.
Play For The Memory was now under way. Teams would play for a cause, in memory of a loved lost one, to raise awareness or just to support a cause close to their heart.
Prize money of a £1,000 would go directly to the winners along with a huge raffle that could see teams walk away with prizes to raffle, sell or auction for their own cause.
Cue the professional players. As well as being a football coach, Michael is the nephew of legend Andy Cole. Michael reached out to Andy and informed him of the initiative. Keen to support, Andy senta signed pair of Wayne Rooney’s boots.
The recent Play For The Memory event was a success with the champions walking away with a prize of £1,000 donated to a rare cancer condition. One team, JVJM had lost every single game. That team were playing In memory of Jack Merrick, tragically killed on his lunch break in a car accident.
The raffle was drawn and Rooney’s boots were won by a member of JVJM. The boots were auctioned off and the money was used to fix the church boiler which Jack and his family were members of. The church had fallen on hard times, however the church continued to help them despite this hardship.
Richard and Michael joined forces once more with Richard elevating Thru Life into the estates, schools and community centres with Michael working on Play For The Memory. The circle was now full and they worked on their first Play For The Memory tournament together on Sunday, July 4.
Some 19 teams from across London playing for notable causes including suicide, mental health, gangs, raising funds for families abroad, heart foundations, bereavement: you name it and Play For The Memory will support it.
Not only there to support the day but also Michael and Richard, Leyton Orient legend Jobi Mcanuff a close friend of Richard, Andy Cole delivering a live signing raffle, ex Premier League star Mikele Leigertwood, community leaders, teachers, mentors, a host of young aspiring professionals giving back, as well as a host of young men showing the power of good causes and hood vibes.
Visit: www.playforthememory.com and www.thrulife.uk
