Yahoo News PICTURES: Stars take part in celebrity football match
Stars of soap operas and reality television took part in a charity match in Dorset to raise money for two charities.
The Avenue Stadium on Weymouth Avenue in Dorchester was the venue for this year’s Sellebrity Soccer contest which took place on Sunday.
This year, the game was raising funds for two charities, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Lexi May Trust.
EastEnders star Ricky Groves, who played Gary Hobbs for nine years, was host on the day, interacting with the audience throughout the contest, whilst the likes of Love Island’s Billy Brown and Josh Brocklebank as well as the Apprentice’s Matt Turner took to the pitch in a thrilling contest. Dorchester Town star Harry Redknapp Jr also featured, along with one of the match organisers, Graham Butler.
Apprentice star Matt Turner with fans at the Avenue (Image: Alfie Lumb)
The game finished 6-3 to the blue team, with Billy Brown scoring twice on the day and forcing a save with a shot from the halfway line.
Ricky Groves at the Avenue Stadium in Dorchester (Image: Alfie Lumb) Speaking after the game, host Mr Groves, said: “It’s been a fantastic day. I love this part of the world, and I’ve been coming here for the past 10 years or so. I love the people and regularly go to West Bay and Chesil Beach when I can.
“The fact that we can as give much of what we can to the local community to turn it into a family fun day at their local stadium is great, and who knows, maybe it will draw them to football more and they can come down to support Dorchester. Come on you Magpies.”
Billy Brown signing shirts for fans after the game (Image: Alfie Lumb) Man of the match, Billy Brown, said to the Echo: “Amazing support from fans today and unbelievable support for the charities. We always do what we can in our free time for people in need.
“I love coming here, and I can’t believe I nearly scored from the half way line again,” he joked.
The blue team celebrating the win on the day (Image: Alfie Lumb)Kelly Park, who regularly raises funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, helped organise the event as her daughter Eden suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. The game was organised to coincide with Eden's sixth birthday, and the whole crowd wished her well on the day in a group singing of Happy Birthday.
Mrs Park said: “It’s been crazy, so busy and the day has come around so quickly. We have had such amazing support from the trust. It’s very exciting.
Kelly Clark (in the vest) posing with her family and staff at the CF trust (Image: Alfie Lumb) Kevina Goodchild, a member of staff at the trust, said: “Kelly and her family have been amazing, and we will always be involved with them. This event is massively important as everything is funded through days like this.”
Carly Hopkin, founder of the Lexi May Trust which supports children with terminal illnesses or life-limiting conditions in Dorset, said: “This event is massive locally and really helps raise our profile, and today we’re hoping to raise as much as we can for these two wonderful charities.
The Sellebrity Soccer 2024 line up in Dorchester (Image: Alfie Lumb) Graham Butler confirmed after the game, that another fixture is set to take place next year ‘towards September or October.’
It is not yet known how much was raised for the charities, however auctions for signed shirts from the players taking part on the day raised around £400.
