The CP Challenge Trophy 2023

St Georges Park

Needwood, Burton Upon Trent, DE13 9PD

11 March 2023

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The 2nd Tournament – With the Same Ethos

Friendship - Development - Competition

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Trophies and medals sponsored by Ecomotive Logistics

Welcome to this years event

The CP Challenge Trophy Organisers are looking forward to welcoming teams from home and abroad, their coaches and spectators, our trophy sponsors Ecomotive Logistics and our wonderful officials to the magnificent Sir Alf Ramsey Pitch at St George’s Park on 11 March 2023.

With forty two matches to be played across the day, it will be an action packed event which we hope everyone will enjoy

There will be two group stages with six teams in each group. After the group games are completed, the top two teams from each group will go into Tier one, the next two from each group go into Tier two, and the next two from each into Tier three.

From there, semi finals will be played in each tier, followed by third and fourth place play-offs and of course ending with finals So each team will play an equal amount of games across the day, giving every player as much playing time as possible. We believe this structure also gives every team and player something to play for throughout the day whatever their level may be.

We wish everyone attending the CP Challenge Trophy a thoroughly enjoyable day and experience, which we hope you will look back on fondly long after the last ball is kicked.

CP Challenge Trophy 2022 look back

• Whilst we look forward to the 2nd CP Challenge Trophy in 2023 we thought we would look back at our 1st event which was played on Saturday 12 March 2022 at the prestigious St George’s Park.
• The day was cold but predominantly dry and the sun made the odd appearance. The teams arrived early in the morning and the day begun with a minutes enthusiastic applause to show support for the people of Ukraine (one of the top CP teams in the world)
• On the day there were also collection buckets available for people to make a donation to the Disaster Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal - we raised £300 on the day for this cause.
• The day itself saw 10 teams play 29 games and 3 trophies awarded.
• The ethos of the day was Friendship- Development- Competition and these were on show in abundance.
• The organisers were absolutely thrilled with the response and feedback received and we were so pleased to hear that everyone enjoyed the day and there was some amazing football and attitudes displayed by all the teams and our referees & volunteers helped the day run smoothly.
• There were some great pictures from the day showing - respect - friendship - support - development - fun - competitiveness - and a fair few penalty shoot outs.
• We now look forward to Saturday 11 March 2023 - again at St George’s Park and with an International feel to the day

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A background to the Challenge Trophy competition

• The Challenge Trophy came about as a result of fixtures played between South West CP, Surrey CP FC and CP United, where friendships had been developed over a period of time and players were able to feel confident that each game they played in would be played competitively but fairly, and with the friendly ethos being the underlying factor in all that we were doing.
• The success of these fixtures led us to look at reaching out to other clubs and extending the work that had been done, and with further friendship styled matches being enjoyed with those other clubs, it was agreed that the format worked and the next step would be a one day invitational competition that could involve many of the clubs we had engaged with, all at one event, and so the idea of the Challenge Trophy was born. The inaugural event in 2022 was a great success and has meant expansion to twelve teams this year.
• We are very proud of the friendship ethos that has grown from our original fixtures where trust, fairness and a desire to see players from other clubs as well as our own, flourish, develop and enjoy their meetings and games with each other is paramount.
• We hope every coach, player and spectator present at the 2023 Challenge Trophy will work with us in continuing to employ this ethos and style of fixture.

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Ethos, Classification and General Information�

Introduction:

• Thank you for coming to join us for a great day of football at the prestigious St George’s Park We are looking forward to welcoming you all and sharing what we hope will be a great experience for ALL involved.

CP Challenge Trophy Aims and Ethos

• The day has been planned on the back of lots of very successful friendship and development fixtures over the past few seasons which have been organised by SWCP, Surrey CP and CP United and is an extension of the wider work that is going on across the country to grow the CP game.  These fixture programs have seen like-minded people come together and consciously work together to create a positive, respectful, fair and enjoyable environment for all involved.
• We are all at different stages within our development as teams and clubs; some have been established for a few years now and have older players, some have a mix of older and younger players, some have been established for years and are in a transition stage with lots of young players just starting out in adult football and some are brand new teams/clubs who are working hard to grow their numbers and create opportunities for players from their region to come along and access some CP specific football.  There is so much great work going on and this is a great opportunity to share in an experience that will only add value to what we are all doing.
• All the fixtures we have had have been competitive and this event will be no different, the players will be competitive as soon as they step onto the pitch…as they should be, but we ask that our ethos and aims remain the same. Having a trophy involved shouldn’t change the environment we are working hard to create or the opportunities for players to play and represent their clubs to the best of their ability. Our aim remains the same; to work together and support each other to grow and develop and create more playing opportunities for all our players in a friendly environment.   To those of you who have already attended one of these events you will already be aware of the ethos and aims at these events and some of you have expressed an interest in becoming involved, so we are very happy to invite you all along to join us. We are asking everyone who is attending as managers and coaches and spectators to ensure that we continue to work together on the day and into the future with this same ethos, understanding and level of respect. We would also ask you as players, coaches, and spectators who come along to remember what the day and longer-term goal is about. Classification details will be set out within the rules; however, we are fully aware that all teams are at a different stage in their journey so may not necessarily have a class 1 player to be on the pitch all the time. We understand this and it isn’t a problem, we want everyone to get game time and play. However please ensure you are fair and respectful in relation to the players you use. i.e.; playing with mostly players who are a class 3 at the same time if you have class 2s or 1s available isn’t the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship we are looking to promote. If you are uncertain and new to classification then please ask – we are by no means experts but can help you with any questions you may have.

• Please welcome our Trophy and Medal sponsors for this event, Ecomotive Logistics, based from their offices in Leicester and operating nationwide.

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• A message from our sponsor:

"We are Ecomotive Logistics, a very successful, long established, vehicle logistics & movements company with over 200 team members currently working with us. Our collection and delivery services are currently being used by most of the UK’s top retail motor groups, independent dealers & national leasing companies.“

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• The tournament organisers would like to thank Ecomotive Logistics for their support and sponsorship of the awards and trophies of this years CP Challenge Trophy.

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Meet the Teams

Brighton – Albion in the Community

‘’The Brighton and Hove Albion CP team has been going for around seven years, and has competed in the national league since the team was started. The team train at the American Express Performance Centre in Lancing, West Sussex every Monday evening.

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The clubs longest serving player is Kieran Green, who helped form the team, and continues to support the players and coaches.’’

Chelsea FC Foundation

• “The Chelsea FC Foundation CP Team has a mixture of youth and experience, some players having played for the club for over 10 years. All of our of players take part in the Foundation wide scale pan disability programme as well taking part in weekly CP specific training. The squad are looking forward to the CP Challenge Trophy, an opportunity for player development in a competitive format and to test themselves against some high level opposition.”

Kit Colour: Royal Blue

GK Kit Colour: Green / Yellow

CP Football Development Academy

Kit Colour: Green / White

CP United and CP United Development

• ‘’We are CP United we were formed in 2014 from then on grown in numbers and have never looked back. We are based in Manchester but we do have other centres in the North West such as Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire and Liverpool. We as a club have some key values such as being kind to ourselves and others, showing respect to ourselves and others and lastly looking after one another and ourselves. We have many staff and volunteers within the club such as Michelle, Jordan, Ruth, Matty, Brian and many others who help maintain our values and help everyone be the best we can be on and off the field. We look forward to a fantastic day of football.’’

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CP Soccer USA

Kit Colour: All Blue or All White

GK Kit Colour: Pink and Black

‘’CP Soccer is one of 9 proud disability soccer members of U.S. Soccer. With programs across the USA, CP Soccer offers weekly programming at all levels. Adult play is relatively new to CP Soccer with this England tour being the second event that they have attended. Players come from across the USA with a total pool of approximately 40 adults and 400 youth players in the organization. This summer (June) CP Soccer will be hosting an adult tournament in Upstate New York with teams welcome to attend.’’

Derby County Community Trust

• ‘’Starting out as the East Midlands CP Team based in Nottingham, the team then played as Riverside FC’s CP Team, a local grass roots team located in Long Eaton, Derbyshire. Six years ago the team moved to be part of the Derby County Community Trust programme and have competed in the National Cerebral Palsy League since it’s inauguration.  The team trains every Saturday morning at Belper Leisure Centre and it is also the base for an under 16’s CP squad.  Two members of the adult team are currently in the England CP Under 21 squad and hopefully one day will make their bow for the senior three lions CP squad.’’

Kit Colour: White Shirts, Black Shorts, White Socks

GK Kit Colour: All Green

D4S [Disability 4 Sport]

‘’Like some other CP clubs - D4S CP began as one of the Regional CP Centres of Excellence. 

D4S covered the East Region and originally competed in the CP League. Like other centres as funding declined the amount of CP football players could access declined.

We have players who have represented their country and are gradually re-building our CP squad and have in the past couple of seasons accessed some friendly games with other CP teams as well as playing in this event last season.

D4S also provide a wide range sports to participants with a range of disabilities.’’

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Kit Colour: Blue GK Kit Colour: Yellow

Surrey CP FC

‘’Surrey CP FC is a relatively young club formed in late 2020, once Covid restrictions allowed outside exercise in groups, initially to provide an outlet for adults with cerebral palsy to play football and exercise together in a safe and egalitarian environment amongst others with similar disabilities, with minimal costs being paramount. Volunteer coaches with years of disability experience deliver regular training sessions and travel to disability fixtures around the country with the players and look after their welfare during these.

As restrictions eased, the club was able to open its doors to other disabilities and has now been able to welcome additional players with autism, visual and hearing impairments.

The club also engages with other similar clubs around the country with a friendship ethos being the highest priority, giving richer social opportunities to players both within Surrey CP FC and those at other clubs.’’

Kit Colour: Purple/White stripes, purple shorts.

GK Kit Colour: Yellow or Light Blue

SWCP United

‘’SWCP United was previously an FA CP Talent Centre which began in roughly 2008/09.

Over a period of time there were several changes and in around 2016/17 SWCP United became a club in its own right. Initially we played in the CP National League and Cup competitions but after a season we decided to take a leap of faith and build our own games programmes outside of the league. Over the past few seasons we have played numerous clubs and built up a great bond and relationship with like minded teams. We have also travelled Internationally to both Barcelona and Ireland on several occasions.

We firmly believe that football should be played the right way which is the ethos by which we play the game and build ongoing relationships. It has been an honour and privilege to help build a CP specific tournament alongside our other games programmes. 

We are fortunate to note that we have players who have accessed talent pathways and in some cases played at senior level for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

We are really looking forward to seeing so many teams we have played over the past few seasons and renewing both friendships and some great competitive games of football.

We are a small club from the South West who look to provide a great experience on and off the pitch and continue to seek out new opportunities for our players.’’

Kit Colour: SKY BLUE (2nd Colour White)

GK Kit Colour: Pink or Black

VV De Merino’s

‘’When the national teams came to a standstill in 2019 after Seville, we decided to continue training after consultation with players and parents. We looked at a club that wanted to offer us shelter and ended up at our club V.v. the Merinos. Here we were allowed to train and use the field. The players liked this so much that when it became known that a World Cup for club teams was being organized by IFCPF, the players asked if we could participate. After many behind the scenes talks, we got permission from the FA and the club to play under the banner of V.V. the Merinos to participate in the World Cup. Players had a great time. Which ultimately resulted in the CP Club Football Foundation. The team currently consists of 14 players and we hope to get some more soon.

In Barcelona we made nice contacts with the other countries. Because of this we are invited to participate in this great tournament. We are looking forward to it and hope for a successful day!’’

Kit Colour: Blue Shirts, White Shorts, Blue Socks

GK Kit Colour: Black

West Bromwich Albion

• ‘’WBA CP restarted in 2021 after the pandemic. The size of the squad has developed since the return of the team. We train each week at the WBA FC Academy Dome. The team are under the guidance of Conor Brogan and Dan Rowe. The current squad are taking part in the CP National League for the first time. The Albion Foundation were selected to be a FA parahub and one player from this centre has now progressed into the National team and now trains and plays competitive football on a regular basis which is a great success story.’’

Kit Colour: Dark blue and white stripes

Introducing the Referees

Andy Baker

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I have been refereeing for the last 2 years, having previously been involved at various levels of the game as a coach. I still play myself and help out with the committee for the Greater Manchester Ability Counts League.

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Introducing the referees - continued

Matthew Farley

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Matthew is a senior county referee and has been refereeing since 2017. I have taken part in a number of events including disability football, men’s, youth and the odd tournament in Portugal and Sweden with some of the fellow Ref’s taking part in the tournament.

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I have an older brother who lived with cerebral palsy but unfortunately was unable to play. I understand the disability well and what fun everyone can still have despite living with a life long disability. I really enjoy refereeing and being able to officiate the CP games. Hope everyone has a great day.

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Introducing the referees - continued

Mike Kearney

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I’ve been refereeing almost 20 years and can honestly say most of it has been enjoyable.

I’ve helped out with refereeing CP football for the past few years and it has been an absolute pleasure to be part of.

I was at St George’s Park last year for this CP tournament and was delighted to see so many footballers playing with a smile on their face. It was a great day.

Hopefully this year will be even better.

Good luck to all the teams involved, enjoy your football.

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Introducing the referees - continued

David Loder

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David has many years of refereeing experience behind him. He has previously refereed at Western League standard and has been an Abilities Counts Referee since 2020.

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Introducing the referees - continued

Tim Richens

Tim is an experienced referee & UEFA B coach and is an active walking footballer from Cheddar who is also manager of the England over 60s woman’s walking football team.

Tim is a married man, aged 59, with 3 daughters, 1 granddaughter and 2 grandsons.

As well as his family. Tim’s big love is Chelsea FC who he has supported since 1970.

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Introducing the referees - continued

Bailey Walker

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I am 22 years of age and have been refereeing since the age of 15. I am currently a level 4 referee with an aim to be promoted to level 3 at the end of this season. I have refereed Abilities Counts Football since 2016 and have plenty of experience refereeing mainstream football at Tournaments both in the UK and Abroad.

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Introducing the referees - continued

Mark Walker

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I am a Devon FA Senior County Referee and live in Barnstaple. I have been refereeing Abilities Counts Football since 2015 and CP Football since 2020. I have also refereed at prestige youth tournaments on three occasions in Portugal, once in Spain and once in Sweden.

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CP Challenge Cup 2023 Rules�

Please read and share the tournament rules with all your players and coaches. Any questions to clarify please contact us.

Competition Format:

• The competition is called the CP Challenge Trophy and is sanctioned by the FA.
• The competition is by invitation only. Places are allocated upon receipt of a fully completed entry

form and cleared payment. Entries will be confirmed by the organisers at least 7 days prior to the

tournament.

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Age Groups, Squads and Player Qualification.

• The tournament is an open age event.
• Each team shall register a squad of players on / before the day of the event.
• Each team can register a squad of up to 14 players.
• Each team shall appoint a manager / coach who has responsibility for their teams registration, being ready to play and communicating the tournament rules to their players and supporters.
• All players must wear shin pads and appropriate footwear.

Playing Rules�

The rules of association football will apply. All normal football rules apply except:

• The format is 7 a side
• There is no off-side
• Throw-ins can be normal throws or can be rolled in
• You must have a minimum of one FT1 (most impaired) on the pitch
• You can only have a maximum of one FT3 (least impaired) on the pitch
• The rest of your 7 players can be a combination of FT1 and FT2
• Substitutes are roll-on, roll-off, ensure the referee is aware of substitutes being made.

As stated in the general information we are all at different stages of our club’s development – in relation to classification please engage with us to discuss your team’s situation and we can support with our knowledge and experience to ensure a fair, fun and competitive days football.

Matches (Pitch 1 will be closest to the changing rooms and Pitch 2 furthest from the changing rooms)

• Please ensure you are ready to play your games and at your pitch in good time as there is a tight turn-around in fixtures.
• All games will be 15 minutes straight through.
• Please ensure you have suitable footwear for the 3G – NO BLADES OR METAL STUDS.

Rules - continued

Leagues - **Please note that goal difference will NOT be a factor**

League (group stages)

• Win = 3 points, Draw = 1 point, Loss = 0 points
• The final standing of teams in each league will be determined by points scored.
• If teams finish level on points, head-to-head results will be used to determine places.
• If head- to-head results do not separate tied teams, then penalties will decide the outcome and progression to the knock out stages.
• These will be sudden death – the penalty takers must take one penalty each in turn from the ON PITCH squad until one team misses or the whole squad has been used.

Knock-Out Stages

• If teams are level at full-time then penalties will decide the outcome. Penalty takers need to be from the ON PITCH squad that finish the game. 3 penalties from each team, then sudden death to determine the outcome.

Medals and Trophies

• The winner of each Tier will be presented with a Trophy. (Tier 1 Winners will win the overall shield which is returned for the following years tournament)
• .The winners and runners up in each Tier will each receive a medal

Matches

• 1st named team on the fixture sheet has kick-off
• 2nd named team on the fixture list to change colours / bibs (please bring your own) if there is a colour clash

Referee to hand match card to match day co-ordinator / CP Challenge Trophy support for results to be logged at the end of each game

Rules - continued

Referees

• Referees shall be appointed by the CP Challenge Trophy organisers.

Players, Officials and Supporters Conduct:

Yellow / Red Cards (In the unlikely event cards are required)

• The competition uses the red and yellow card system.
• An accumulation of two yellow cards on a the day will result in the player being suspended from the next match.
• Two yellow cards in one match equals a red card and the player will be sent off.
• A player who receives two yellow cards or a straight red card in the same match will not be permitted to take any part in the competition.
• All cautions and red cards to be dealt with on the day.

Any misconduct from the tournament will be reported to the FA / County FA by the referee as normal

Rules - continued

Red and Yellow Cards: (additional information)

• A player who is dismissed from the field of play for any reason apart from violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour shall be suspended automatically for one match (rest of the tournament) in the Tournament immediately following the match in which he was sent off. This includes two yellow cards received within the same match or a straight red card.
• A player who is dismissed from the field of play for violent conduct, serious foul play, threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour whether he has previously been cautioned in the match or not, shall be suspended automatically for two matches (rest of the tournament). This commenced immediately following the match in which he was sent off. Save for spitting at another person who will be suspended from the tournament and reported to The Football Association.
• All extraordinary incident should be reported to The Football Association. In exceptional circumstances the Football Association may deem it necessary to impose a greater sanction.

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Protests and Appeals

All questions of eligibility, qualification of players or interpretation of Rules shall be referred to the Tournament Committee, but no objection relative to the dimensions of the playing area or other appurtenances thereon shall be entertained by the Committee unless a protest is lodged with the referee before the commencement of the game.

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Safeguarding / Respect

• (Please come and see us or call Jane (07980881420 or Julie 07775802317 with any concerns) Please ensure any spectators who come along to watch do so from the seating areas or raised platforms & OFF the pitch at all times. ONLY players, coaches, medical staff and match officials will be allowed onto the pitch/ playing area. Please also ensure there are no parents or spectators entering the changing room area. If players need help with socks, shoes, shin pads, laces etc then it is up to team officials/coaches to help. There will be guidance on the day on the location of toilets for those watching the games. There is a water fountain near the pitch so please bring water bottles to refill.
• Coaches to use the middle technical area set out between the pitches to coach from and vacate this area when your team is not playing.
• Coaches to ensure the photo consent form for your squad(s) is signed when registering your arrival which will be pitch side and also amend the squad names if needed.
• As stated in our Ethos and aims, Respect is a big part of how we want to do things and it is the responsibility of EVERYONE who attends on the day to promote this, so please be respectful of the site and of each other at all times - We want this to be a fun and enjoyable day of football for everyone involved.

General Information 

• Please dispose of your litter in the bins provided or bring a bin bag of your own.
• There is a Starbucks down at the Hilton Hotel if you require hot drinks or snacks. We would encourage you to ensure players bring a packed lunch and lots of drinks for the day. Flasks of hot drinks might also be a good idea.

Hospitals – with Accident and Emergency Department: 

• Hopefully this will not be required but the closest A and E is at Queens Hospital, Belvedere Road, Burton-On-Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 ORB

In the spirit of the game/Friendship ethos�

• If a team is short of players, please help each other out by supporting with borrowing/lending of players from/to another team – this can be done on an ad hoc basis as needed – in the spirit of this tournament please make your opposition aware if you are borrowing a player / players from another team. We advise this method as opposed to removing players to even out teams, as it allows more players more time on the pitch.
• Please be respectful of the referees, they may have travelled long distances to help us and without them we cannot play.

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We fully appreciate there is lots to read through, but please familiarise yourself and your players with the information. If you wish to clarify anything please contact the event organisers.

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The one big thing we want to say is

Welcome and enjoy your day

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GROUP GAMES�

Match Schedules

Group Games

Each game 15 minutes one way. 2 minutes between matches. Referees in bold. 1^st named team kicks off, second named team uses bibs if there is a clash

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ond named team uses bibs if there is a clash

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Knock out Schedules

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We are pleased to announce that we will have a special guest coming along to help present the awards at the CP Trophy. Emmerdale actor James Moore (who plays Ryan Stocks) will be joining us. James has Ataxic Cerebral Palsy so seems very fitting to have him coming along.

SGP - FAQs and Information

1. What are the rules on food and drink inside the venue - can it be consumed in the

seating and viewing areas?

As long as it only consumed in the seating area and is kept off the pitch/ areas

kept clean then it’s fine.

2. Can food be ordered in? (e.g. pizza??)

Yes this is fine

3. Is Starbucks or any other food / drink outlets open?

Starbucks will be open as well as the bar in the hotel.

4. Can we have a supply of cones and flat discs to mark out various areas - sidelines

- penalty areas - coaches areas (and some for our International visitors?

Yes, no problem we’ll leave them in the middle of the pitch for you to set up

5. Can we borrow a couple of bags of footballs and a couple of sets of bibs if possible

(again for our overseas visitors) we will bring our own as well but just thinking of

space in our cars.)

Balls are no problem we may struggle for bibs though as ours will be used by the

squads on site,so it might be worth bringing your own

6. Can we bring some flasks of drinks so we can have hot drinks for our coaches,

refs and volunteers? These will not be for sale but to allow these people to get a

hot drink as and when.

No problem

7. Can you confirm the capacity for spectators in the venue?

Max capacity would be 150 just let me know how many you are expecting and we

will steward appropriately in line with our events licence

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SGP – FAQs and Information continued

8. Each team will have their own first aider.

Great they will be responsible for all first aid issues

9. You said you would share the emergency action plan for the venue.

This has been sent as a separate document for to all teams & officials will also be

available in the venue.

10. Can you confirm which doors spectators / players / coaches use and also which

toilets should be used.

All players and spectators would need to come through the fire exit doors just

passed the main reception. Players/Coaches can use the changing room toilets.

All spectators will be signposted to the external toilet block next to pitch 6.

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Additional Information –

Please follow all guidance / instructions from the venue stewards and the organising team.

If anyone has some questions then please ask – we want this to be a fantastic experience

for everyone who attends the day.

There is going to be a player of the day trophy awarded at the end of the day. This award will

be voted on by our match day officials. They will nominate player/s at the end of each game.

In the result of a tie for first place the match officials will decide the overall winner.

We will have The Steve Bloomer and Viv Anderson changing rooms for players and the staff

changing rooms for the match officials. Please come as ready changed as you can as space

will be at a premium. If your team has a female player, please make us aware on the day so

we can ensure time and space for them to change if required.

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Additional Information links

• SGP Emergency Medical Action Plan

Hyperlink – click here

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• Trophy and Medal sponsors for this event, Ecomotive Logistics, based from their offices in Leicester and operating nationwide

Hyperlink – click here

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And finally . . . .

The CP Challenge Trophy admin team hope you all enjoyed your day and wish you all a safe journey home.

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Friendship - Development - Competition