Thanks to Roy and his family
The family of a man who ran a football club and organised youth tournaments have raised almost £1,000 for the Street Soccer Foundation in his memory.
Roy Harman, from Essex, was a qualified coach and referee, who co-ran Pegasus Football Club for almost 25 years, while also organising tournaments for youth teams and training local referees.
The avid Arsenal fan died in November last year, following a courageous battle with oesophageal cancer, and his family wanted to find a football-related cause to fundraise for through donations at his funeral.
They chose the Street Soccer Foundation because our ethos and aims mirror Roy’s passion for wanting young people to improve their skills, enjoy playing football and make the most of opportunities on offer to them.
Roy’s grandson Peter Dukes said:
“In essence, the Street Soccer Foundation represents exactly what Pegasus did for an area in Essex. He created a youth system that helped young people to express themselves, get out, meet team mates, learn skills from being in a team and I think, in essence, that’s what Grandad was all about. He was extremely passionate about giving those opportunities to people and for me, personally, as a grandson, he always supported whatever I wanted to do, but more importantly, football gave him the drive to give opportunities to other people and I think that’s why the Street Soccer Foundation resonated so strongly.”
A visit to St George's
Roy’s family visited the recent Street Soccer Foundation Academy National Cup at the Home of England Football, St George’s Park, to witness our work in action.
Seeing teams from academies across the country who had completed our academy programme competing in the cup reminded Roy’s daughter, Sandra Dukes, of the tournaments her father organised with Pegasus.
“Pegasus grew and grew until they could eventually do their own open days just like this and they used to have clubs from all over the area come in. It was amazing, the training, just like here - some of them have gone on to do professional football. It’s so important to have a focus and sport is wonderful for that. We looked around at lots of different charities because of Dad’s love of football and Pegasus and we wanted to do something for youth, so we chose the Street Soccer Foundation.”
Keith Mabbutt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Street Soccer Foundation, said:
We are very grateful for the donations raised in Roy Harman’s memory and these funds will enable more vulnerable young people to complete one of our Street Soccer Academy programmes. We heard amazing feedback at our recent National Cup about how our academies really have changed young people’s lives for the better, giving them a focus, new skills and new friends, often at a really tough time in their lives, and it’s through the generosity of our supporters that we are able to continue offering these opportunities to those who really need them.”
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