On Tuesday, 11 March, Harry Ash joined Dale Vince and his five-a-side football teammates at FGR to celebrate his 2024 European Champions League Amputee football victory and England caps.
The mixed five-a-side squad in Cirencester is where Harry, who plays for the England Amputee football team and just won the European Amputee Champions League with Polish team Wisla Krakow, also plays every week.
In addition to celebrating Harry’s accomplishments, everyone who plays with him on Tuesday nights wanted to help the England Amputee Football Association (EAFA), which is entirely dependent on donations, voluntary work, and outside sponsorship and does not receive any funding from the English FA or Premier League.
In order to raise the money required for the England squad to continue competing in tournaments across the UK and Europe, Harry shared his medals and accolades while also indulging in a delectable vegan supper in the Carol Embrey Suite. To top off the festivities, Harry and his five-a-side teammates witnessed FGR defeat Sutton United at The New Lawn.
On the evening, Harry said: “It’s been a very enjoyable experience, thank you very much to FGR for having us.
“It’s great to get some publicity for the amazing work the charity does in providing amputees with a chance to play football, and if any readers are themselves interested in becoming involved, or know anyone who may be, whether as a player or sponsor or anything in between, please do reach out.
“And I’d just like to add that, though it’s become something of a running joke among us, the weekly football I’m able to play with this group has genuinely had a huge impact on my development over the past five years or so, for which I’m very grateful.”
Five-a-side team-mate John Anderson said: “We’re very proud of Harry’s achievements and we wanted to celebrate these with him as well as help raise money for the EAFA at the same time.
“FGR is the perfect place to do this as it’s a club that celebrates diversity and inclusivity in the community.”
Richard Lucas, another team-mate from the Tuesday five-a-side night team, said: “Harry is the best player on the pitch by far and runs rings round us all. Everyone always wants him to play on your side.”
The five-a-side team meet up each week on a Tuesday night and are a diverse group of players of all ages and abilities who play for fun in a competitive game at 7.30pm at Cirencester Arena. Harry is one of the standout star performers and regularly scores numerous goals each game.
The total raised from the evening stands at £1,265 so far. With a target of £2,000, any further donations are always welcome. If you wish to contribute to the fund to support EAFA, please follow the link below, and if you’d like to join Harry and the team for a game, please come along to Cirencester Arena on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm.
