Written by: Kelly Mavididi

The London Youth Games football tournament (girls) saw over 440 young players from 27 London boroughs take to the field at Tooting and Mitcham FC on Sunday 15^th June, with a special trophy up for grabs in honour of the late Kevin Campbell.

Across the day, both U13 and U15 girls played simultaneously in group stage matches with teams progressing onto the knock-out stages and eventually, the final. Not only that, the winner of the U15 girl’s tournament was awarded with the Kevin Campbell trophy presented by the Kevin Campbell Foundation – who partnered with the London Youth Games to support this event.

Kevin Campbell Foundation hopes to inspire young female footballers

Present at the event was the founder and CEO of the foundation, Kevin’s sister, Lorna Campbell. She said: “The Kevin Campbell Foundation started as a result of the passing of Kevin at the tender age of 54. The foundation was created to continue some of the fantastic work that Kevin was doing since he hung up his [football] boots.”

“He was supporting the community in a number of ways, both nationally and internationally and we wanted to celebrate what he’d been doing and continue the good work.”

The London Youth Games supports and champions young people’s involvement in sport with Lorna sharing that she hopes this partnership will “continue to develop young female football players interest in sport and provide them with opportunities.”

The foundation also launched their new ‘Kevin Campbell Outstanding Achievement Award’ for players who embodied the values of Overcoming Adversity, Teamwork and Sportsmanship.

Lionesses legacy

The high energy atmosphere throughout the day was evidence of the growing legacy of women’s football with many participants citing players like Lucy Bronze and Chloe Kelly as their inspiration. One Hackney participant shared her adoration for the Lionesses and the impact of the LYG event, “It’s really incredible to see how many girls show up to play football for their borough.”

“At the beginning I started off playing in a boys-only football team. Seeing this many girls at the London Youth Games has shown how much women’s football is progressing.”

Events like this are important for young girls to feel empowered to play sport, compete against different schools and increase the participation rates of girls in grassroots football.

Congratulations to all the participants and a big well done to the boroughs who battled their way onto the podium:

U13 Girls

Gold: Kingston Upon Thames

Silver: Southwark

Bronze: Waltham Forest

U15 Girls

Gold: Bromley

Silver: Wandsworth

Bronze: Hillingdon

Special thanks to the Kevin Campbell Foundation for supporting this event and not forgetting the BTO’s, Team Managers and all the staff for providing exceptional support on the day.