George Parris has helped make youngsters' dreams come true after another successful staging of his annual mini-soccer tournaments at the Boleyn Ground.
The former West Ham United favourite, who served the club to distinction between 1982 and 1993 and is still a familiar face around the stadium, saw 66 clubs from 16 counties take part with teams coming from as far afield as Devon and Nottinghamshire. "The tournaments, as always, were keenly contested, the action was non-stop and there was some great talent on show," Parris said.
The homegrown midfielder was also pleased that a very worthy charity could also benefit from the proceedings. He added: "The events give kids the unique chance to play at Upton Park and it is obvious how much they enjoy the experience and of course it is a special day for their parents as well. The weather was great, the raffles helped raise £3,000 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital so the event couldn't really have gone any better."
Over the two-day event, there were separate competitions for Under-7s (friendlies), U8s, U9s, U10s, U11s and U12s. The victorious teams were:
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (U8s - Trophy)
Hove Rivervale, East Sussex (U8s - Plate)
Hove Rivervale A, East Sussex (U9s - Trophy)
Halliford Colts, Surrey (U9s - Plate)
Glebe FC, Kent (U10s - Trophy)
County Park, Essex (U10s - Plate)
Stanway Villa - Team 1, Essex (U11s - Trophy)
Stanway Villa - Team 2, Essex (U11s - Plate)
Didcot Boys, Oxfordshire (U12s - Trophy)
Leaside Colts Reds, Essex (U12s - Plate)
There have been various pitch events at the Boleyn Ground this summer. If you are interested in playing on the hallowed turf yourself next year, contact corporate hospitality on 0208 548 2777. For more information on the George Parris mini-tournaments, email here.