Our Charity Cup raises funds for homeless trip

Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun
Coach Jimmy Campbell (centre) instructs Homeless World Cup team members during a weekend training session at Boeng Keng Kang school.

via Khmer NZ

Friday, 06 August 2010 15:00 H S Manjunath

Ten teams are set to take part in the Phnom Penh Post Charity Cup mini soccer tournament at the Kidzcool Children & Family Fun Village Astroturf pitch Saturday to help raise money for the Cambodian team’s participation in the 2010 Homeless World Cup in Rio de Janeiro next month.

This fundraiser is being organised by Jimmy Campbell, head coach of the Happy Football Cambodia Australia, a registered charity organisation that is arranging the trip to Brazil.

“Organisation of the event is going smoothly,” said former Scottish professional footballer Campbell. “Kidzcool is fielding a team besides allowing us the use of their facilities for free. By taking the naming rights, the Phnom Penh Post has provided us a strong base to build and Paddy Rice is handling the catering.”

The registered teams will be split into two groups as follows: The Phnom Penh Post, Kidzcool, Asialife, Bayon and Me Mates in Group A; Dan’s Demons, Paddy Rice, SCA, Alex Allstars and Jim Oldstars in Group B.

After completing round-robin group rounds, teams will then face opponents from the opposite group according to their league placing, with the top teams vying for the coveted PPP Charity Cup.

“The key message is fair play, and we have mixed men’s and women’s teams,” said Campbell. “There will be lot of fun, but at the same time its serious business of helping a charitable cause.”

Each team have been asked to pay US$200 for admission to the tournament, which Campbell said will contribute towards the airfares of the team, while the total expense of the trip is expected to be around $25,000. “The organisers of the Homeless World Cup are taking care of a large sum of these expenses, but still we may need $8,000 after this event to get us there,” he said.

“We are looking for a sponsor who could benefit from worldwide coverage of the Homeless World Cup, in which 60 nations are taking part. It is also an attempt on our part to raise awareness of the plight of these young people, some of whom have been rescued from very unhealthy situations.”

Another fundraiser has been planned at Meta House on August 13, featuring a screening of a short documentary on the Homeless World Cup. The dance floor will then open up for a late-night after-party.

Matches at the Kidzcool Astroturf pitch on Chhroy Changvar peninsular start from 9am Saturday, building up to finals at 3pm, with drinks and food available throughout.