The gift of giving is an important one. A simple gift can make someone very happy. For transplant recipients, that gift is one of life. The gift to keep on living, being active, and enjoying their life. That was on full display on 25/March, when Solihull Moors Football Club played host to the Transplant Sport Football Tournament 2023.
Five teams from across the UK and Ireland converged on the Birmingham stadium for some six-a-side football. Two small pitches were used for the games, allowing for two matches at a time for the crowd to watch. Each team would play against the others, with the winners gaining a point in the tournament. Those with the most points would face each other in the finals, with the third-place playoff to determine who would get the bronze.
Across the four hours, these teams had fun facing each other in the friendly competition. There was plenty of action to watch across the two consecutive matches, with some great goals and defending throughout. And the occasional ball flying into the other game. There were smiles and cheers from the competitors and those watching. From behind the camera, I wasn’t following the scores of the games or who won matches, but I was certainly enjoying trying to get some great shots.
The teams playing were Birmingham, Oxford, Nottingham, Wales, and Ireland. Though Birmingham was where my support lay, I could tell that Ireland were a team to watch. They worked well as a team, and across their matches always seemed to have the advantage. But when the final match against Nottingham came, that advantage looked to have worn out. Birmingham, unfortunately, came last.
Oxford won against Wales to take the bronze medals. Ireland took home the silver, with Nottingham getting the trophies for first place. Each award was handed out by some of the special guests that had come to watch. Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands Dr. Satya Sharma presented the bronze medals, with Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands Professor Sir Nigel Thrift presenting the silver medals.
Solihull Moors Foundation Trustee Dele Adebola announced the Outstanding Player of the tournament and presented the trophy. The winners were presented their trophies by Laura Young, Marketing Manager of Countryside Partnerships PLC (who had sponsored the tournament), along with being presented with the Transplant Sport Football Shield by Chairman of Transplant Sport, Dr. Paul Harden.
Everyone playing in the tournament were winners, however. As said at the beginning, transplantation is a gift. A gift that works. Events such as this show that the gift of life works. Raises awareness for transplantation. Every person playing has at some point in their life needed an organ transplant, some more than one. That they can keep going on with their life and seeing the positives of it speaks volumes for the success of transplantation.
The three charities involved with the event have some relation to sport or transplantation. Solihull Moors Foundation is the charity behind the football club, working in the community of Birmingham to promote healthy living from a young age. Transplant Sport promote the benefits of organ donation, improving awareness of what a transplant can do for a person and the importance of stepping up to be a donor. The University Hospitals Birmingham Charity helps patients across the hospitals of Birmingham by improving the services they can provide. This includes the state-of-the-art transplant centre that is being built at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
All photos have been taken by me. This slideshow showcases some more of the action across the tournament.
