Match at Stadium of Light raises more than £4,000 for charity

Football fans raised more than £4,000 for charity when they took to the pitch at the Stadium of Light.
Teams Unreal Madrid and Haven't a Kalou thanks the crowds for their support.Teams Unreal Madrid and Haven't a Kalou thanks the crowds for their support.
Teams Unreal Madrid and Haven't a Kalou thanks the crowds for their support.

Dreams came true for a group of 30 men who got to play on the turf at the Stadium of Light.

After hiring the pitch for the event, the players decided it would be the perfect opportunity to raise money for charity.

Unreal Madrid, the winning team.Unreal Madrid, the winning team.
Unreal Madrid, the winning team.
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Robbie Yoxall, one of the players, said they all paid about £100 each to hire the pitch.

After deciding to raise cash for charity, the two teams, Un-Real Madrid, which Robbie played for, and Haven’t Got a Kalou, made a pact that whichever team raised the most money prior to the match would get to use the home team changing rooms.

Although Haven’t Got a Kalou narrowly raised more cash and got to use the home team facilities, it was Un-Read Madrid, in their orange strips, who won the match 6-4.

Un-Real Madrid have donated their slice of the fund-raising to the Teenage Cancer Trust and Haven’t Got a Kalou chose Metro Radio’s Cash for Kids.

Unreal Madrid, the winning team.Unreal Madrid, the winning team.
Unreal Madrid, the winning team.
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Gavin Brannen, one of the Haven’t a Kalou players, said: “We were treated really well. The dressing rooms were immaculate, and the experience of playing on the stadium pitch was amazing. Every one of the lads were thrilled. It was an unbelievable experience getting to play on the pitch where you have followed your team all your life.

“It didn’t get off to the greatest start for us, because we were 4-1 down at half-time. In the end, we lost 6-4. The day was everything we expected and more.

“We raised about £2,180 for Cash For Kids. Before the day, we said that whichever team raised the most would get to use the home dressing room, and we won that by £37.

“The real winners were the charities. It’s overwhelming how much was raised, really. We thought we might raise a few hundred pounds, so everyone was over the moon that we raised more than £4,000 between us.”

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Robbie added: “It was an amazing experience. About 300 people went along to support us and the feedback we have had is about how good it was.

“We have already decided we are going to do it again next year, but this time start fund-raising earlier to try to get a lot more money.”