Club hosts tournament to remember young footballer
Fri 12 April 2019, 10:17|
Tottenham Hotspur
This week, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation hosted an Under-13 football tournament at New River Sports Centre in memory of Enfield-born teenager Godwin Lawson, who was fatally stabbed on 27 March 2010 as he tried to help friends during a street attack in Stamford Hill.
Following his death, Godwin’s mother Yvonne established the Godwin Lawson Foundation to commemorate the life of her son. For the past eight years, the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has worked in partnership with the Godwin Lawson Foundation to organise football tournaments for teenagers in memory of Godwin and to educate young people about the consequences of knife crime, gun crime and street violence.
Over 180 children representing 18 clubs from across London and the South East took part in the five-a-side tournament which was attended by Jonathan De Bie and TJ Eyoma, two of our Under-23 players.
As part of the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s ongoing work to tackle youth crime in the area, the Club’s charitable body is working in partnership with the Deputy Mayor of London for Policing and Crime to train ‘Peace Ambassadors’. These young people encourage other teenagers to sign a pledge against carrying a weapon and act as positive role models within the local community.
The Foundation also delivers the ‘Tottenham Hotspur Community League,’ which runs in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and Haringey Council, and ‘KICKS’, which uses football to break down barriers between young people and the police.
Richard Allicock, Community Development Manager, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “We are proud to have supported the Godwin Lawson Memorial Tournament for the past eight years. It’s more important than ever for us to organise events for young people to educate them about the dangers of street violence and provide a safe space for them to play sport.”
The Godwin Lawson Memorial Tournament is funded by the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, who support Tottenham Hotspur Foundation’s community development projects. The funding awarded from People’s Postcode Lottery enables the Foundation to use the unique appeal of the Club to deliver creative, innovative and engaging programmes that improve social cohesion, build self-esteem and develop positive attitudes among young people.
