More than 400 colleagues and their families gathered on Sunday (18 May) at Lingfield College in Surrey for the Trust’s first-ever family fun day football tournament.
The event brought together 16 teams from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, creating an electric atmosphere filled with friendly competition and a shared love of football.
The turnout was not only impressive in numbers but also in diversity, with plenty of female players taking to the pitch and representing their teams.
As the tournament kicked off, it became clear that our teams were most definitely in it to win it.
In Group A, Thanet MRFC stormed through with confidence, recording a 7-0 victory over West EOC FC and securing three wins from three.
Over in Group B, the Glourious Gatwickians showed their strength with a 5-0 win over Banstead and remained unbeaten through the group stages.
Group C saw a close contest between Swarz FC United and Polegate FC, both unbeaten and tied on points, though Polegate edged ahead with a standout 5-1 win over Defib Dynamos.
In Group D, GCFC UTD delivered a dominant performance, notching up two wins and a draw to top the table, including a resounding 4-0 win against Ashford MRC.
The semi-finals turned up the intensity another notch. Thanet MRFC continued their winning streak with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the Glourious Gatwickians, while GCFC UTD secured their place in the final with a narrow 1-0 win against Polegate FC.
The final between Thanet and GCFC UTD saw both teams leave everything on the pitch, cheered on by families and colleagues lining the sidelines.
Thanet, who had travelled more than two hours from East Kent to Lingfield, were determined not to go home empty-handed, and they didn’t. Led by Newly Qualified Paramedic, Kieran Marshall, the team battled hard and took home the title! Congratulations to Kieran Marshall, George Harley, Luke Fawcett, Jordan Day, David Robinson, Gabriel Rizzo, John Cruz and Leila Campbell.
Polegate and the Glourious Gatwickians faced off for third place, with the Gatwickians coming out on top to claim the bronze medal. The final standings saw Thanet MRFC crowned champions, GCFC UTD finishing as runners-up, Glourious Gatwickians in third, and Polegate in fourth.
While the football was the main event, the day was about more than just sport. With more than 15 impressive raffle prizes, a bouncy castle, face painting, CPR demonstrations and a tour of one of our ambulances, the event raised more than £1,860.00 for SECAmb’s charity which supports colleagues and volunteers across the Trust.
Everyone who took part, whether on the pitch or supporting from the sidelines, played a part in making the day a fantastic celebration of teamwork and friendly competition.