A bouncy castle, a waterslide, popcorn and cotton candy saw many flock to Academy Sports Club (ASC) this past weekend, Saturday, December 16. At the Academy Christmas Family Fun day, families were able to enjoy many activities for free with a donation to the new Good Samaritan Food Bank, in an effort to bring the community together and feed those most in need this festive season.

There was plenty of football on offer with former Italian National Team player and Chelsea FC star Mr Gianfranco Zola taking a free kick session for all players in attendance, and an Under-15 and Under-17 mini slam tournament rounding off the day.

“It was great to see so many come together, to celebrate a great year as a club, and support a good cause,” said Virgil Seymour, Technical Director of Academy Sports Club. “The Good Samaritan Food Bank strives to make a difference to those most in need, and we hope that we were able to do precisely that at our fun day.”

Both tournaments were highly contested; with Alliance FC B team claiming the Under-17 trophy, and the ASC ‘Warriors’ taking second place. In the Under-15 category, the ASC ‘Jaguars’ came through victorious, defeating the ASC ‘Panthers’ 2-1 in the final. Overall, 75 players took part in 18 matches, scoring 34 goals in 320 minutes of football.

Mr. Seymour believed the day was a great success, and the addition of Mr. Zola inspired many of the younger players. “To see such a large number of young players both participating and enjoying a footballing day of fun was very pleasing for all of us at Academy to see. We hope that the insight given from such a famed ex-professional player will motivate and inspire the future generations of Caymanian football.”

Event organisers at Academy Sports Club said they are grateful to this year’s sponsors. Sponsors include A.L. Thompson, Excel Sports Management, Richard Flowers, No. 1 Shoe Shop, Cayman National Bank, McRuss, Automotive Art, Futbolista World, Pool Patrol and Reflections.

In total, 12 large bins of non-perishable goods were donated to the Good Samaritan Food Bank. For more information on how to donate, head to https://www.caymanfoodbank.com​.

IMAGE: Facebook