Stuart Peace and Kalvin Phillips join the Salvation Army with hosting their Partnership Trophy (Image: Peter Powell)
Stuart Peace and Kalvin Phillips join the Salvation Army with hosting their Partnership Trophy (Image: Peter Powell)
A FOOTBALL tournament is giving people affected by homelessness the chance to shine on the pitch.
The Salvation Army’s Bradford Orchard, which provides supported accommodation, is taking part in the annual Partnership Trophy, a five-a-side tournament in Manchester supported by ex-professional footballer Danny Murphy.
Wayne, a support worker at the Orchard, said: "The Partnership Trophy brings people together, offering fun and the chance to improve confidence and build relationships.
"Our residents and staff have really enjoyed training together and we’ll be hoping to bring that trophy home on Thursday.
"Football boosts both mental and physical health and having names as big as Danny Murphy and Pep Guardiola supporting us really does spur everyone on."
Now in its 15th year, the tournament is backed by Pep Guardiola’s family charity, the Guardiola Sala Foundation, which has backed the tournament for the last seven years after he attended the tournament in 2019.
The tournament brings together teams from Lifehouses, supported housing, outreach programmes, and drop-in services across the UK.
The Salvation Army is one of the largest homelessness charities operating in the UK, providing 2,800 places for people in Lifehouses (hostels) across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and supporting people to tackle the underlying causes of why they became homeless, such as trauma, addiction, mental health problems and wider health and social inequalities.