City football tournament hits boiling point as temperatures break records

The hottest October day on record (Saturday, 1 October) was matched by an equally intense football competition as 16 teams battled it out for the inaugural City of London Police tournament title.

A total of 128 players, including children and adults, took to the field on pitches at Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets. Fourteen Police Officers and Police Community Support Officer’s (PCSOs) volunteered their own time in the morning to help, manage, support and encourage the young teams as well as getting to know local residents even better.

The Net Smashers secured the junior title this year with a superb victory on penalties over Aldgate FC Juniors. They were awarded the prize of a golden boot each and 2012 footballs. The police team PFC narrowly won over Aldgate FC in another nail-biting penalty shootout in the over 14’s tournament. Sir John Cass Foundation School were presented with the team Fair Play award for their fantastic sportsmanship and talent displayed throughout the tournament.

Adrian Leppard, the City of London Police Commissioner, who attended and awarded the prizes, said:

"I have wholeheartedly enjoyed watching so many people from our community, old and young alike, coming together to play a part in this competition.  Considerable skill and teamwork, not to mention great sportsmanship, have been displayed by the teams throughout the day and it's been a delight to award the prizes to the worthy winners."
Carolyn Piper, Sports Development Officer at the City of London Corporation, added:

“Football is a fantastic way to bring the whole community together. There is a real appetite for more sports being made available across City of London estates and fun events such as the City of London Police tournament are a vital part of our strategy to meet this demand. This is just one of the ways we are working with the City of London Police to encourage community interaction, including our partnership to help run the City of London Police Community Boxing club.”

Henry Jones, a Portsoken common councillor, supplied much needed fresh fruit on the day to help keep the teams recover from the heat.

The tournament has been running for the last 4 years in partnership with the Drug Action Team and 2011 saw the first year it was funded by City of London Police.