The local football community came together at the Trust Ground in North Road, Stoke Gifford on Sunday 28th July to once again celebrate the life of Ben Hiscox (pictured right), who tragically died in hospital days after sustaining a head injury during a game at the same venue in March 2015.

Ben, 30, was playing for Stoke Gifford United FC when he slid off the pitch following a challenge and struck his head against the wall of the clubhouse.

Football finally returned to the venue in 2017, with the blessing of Ben’s family, after a number of safety alterations had been made to the ground.

This year’s memorial game between teams loosely representing Stoke Gifford United FC and Little Stoke FC ended 2-2 after normal time, with the goals coming from James Stephens and Nathan Daniels for Stoke Gifford and Zac Cosgrove and Enis Akgun for Little Stoke.

An impromptu penalty shoot out saw victory eventually go to Little Stoke with the winning goal being scored by young Corey Evans, son of Little Stoke’s manager for the day, Ricky Evans.

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This article originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 25). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to over 5,000 homes in Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Harry Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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Training sessions are about to get a bit warmer for the Stoke Lane Lions Under-10s football teams, thanks to a donation from a local Co-operative store.

The community-based youth football team has bought new training hoodies for all 22 players thanks to a £500 donation from Southern Co-op’s store in North Road, Stoke Gifford.

The hoodies will help keep them warm as they train in all weathers.

Alex Whitton, Store Manager at Southern Co-op’s Stoke Gifford store, said:

“All the children have at the moment is their main kit provided by the club. They were in need of something to help them keep warm when it gets cold or they are waiting around on the pitch.”

“They love playing football, so hopefully this will help them play in all weathers. The club is very local and it gives children of all ages the opportunity to participate in organised football.”

“My own son has played in the team since he was five or six years old, so it is great to watch him and the other players growing.”

The U10 Lions team, which is run exclusively by parents and volunteers, is now playing in its third season. It forms part of Stoke Lane AFC, which prides itself on being family-orientated, with players of every age group at the heart of the club.

More about the Southern Co-op’s community engagement programme »

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Stoke Gifford resident Joseph Budd recently made his debut for the Welsh U17 football team at an international tournament in Portugal.

Joe, who is 16 and attends Abbeywood Community School, started playing football when he was just five years old. He used to attend ‘soccer camps’ during the summer holidays and joined the Stoke Lane U7 team when he was six. As he got older and his skills developed, his coach Steve Moore took him to Bristol Rovers for a trial and he signed his first youth contract with them when he was nine.

Explaining what he loves so much about football, Joe said:

“Football keeps me fit. I enjoy training and the challenge that comes with trying to play such a physical and demanding sport. I always enjoy the challenge of testing myself against different opponents that you come up against each week and I’m always striving to get better.”

Since signing his first youth contract, Joe has gone from strength to strength and in the summer of 2018 he was called up to play for Wales U17s in the Telki Cup in Hungary. The tournament took place in September and, whilst there, he played against Croatia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Describing the experience, Joe said:

“Hungary was a fantastic experience. Although I was nervous, I was lucky that the captain was a good friend with whom I played at Rovers, and all the boys and coaches made me feel very welcome. I was still only 15 during that trip, but I qualified to play because of my year of birth. I was really happy that I made two substitute appearances and started the second game.”

As soon as Joe returned from Hungary, he was called up by Wales to attend a training camp in Newport and it was here that he was told that he had been put on the reserve list to play in the UEFA qualifiers in Portugal in October. Joe then had an agonising wait to find out if he would be going to Portugal but when the Welsh U17s coach, Rob Edwards, watched him score two goals whilst playing for Bristol Rovers U16s, he received the call saying he would be joining the rest of the squad. Joe was in Portugal for a week where he made two second-half substitute appearances and started the third game against Portugal. Joe said:

“I was so proud to start my first competitive international game, especially as my mum, dad, gran, nan and both grandads had flown out to watch me.”

More: Scholarship offer from Bristol Rovers FC »

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Abbeywood Community School student Liam Holden has recently been crowned junior kickboxing world champion at a tough competition which was held in Venice, Italy.

Liam, who has been kickboxing since he was 6 years old, is now 13 and competes in about ten tournaments a year, both here and abroad. The world championships that took place in Venice between 16th and 23rd September saw over 1,000 competitors from 64 countries battling it out to be named world champion. With the temperature in Italy being a toasty 26 degrees and the arena not being air conditioned, it was tough conditions for Liam to fight in, however, having trained in similar conditions, he was well prepared for the tournament.

Liam won his fights every day of the competition, beating opponents from Hungary, Argentina, Slovenia and Russia. On Saturday 22nd September he faced a player from Ireland in the final. His opponent was tough, but Liam was in control from the beginning and maintained good scoring all the way through the fight. After a week of fights, Liam was crowned Junior kickboxing World Champion. His mum Kelly, who was there supporting him during the tournament, said

“I don’t think I could ever explain the emotions I felt when Liam stepped out to fight in his final, and when they lifted his arm as the winner, it was one of the proudest moments of my life! I was so pleased for him, he works and trains so hard and gave up his whole summer to train every day.”

Liam can’t quite believe his success, saying:

“It still hasn’t really sunk in that I am world champion; it was just the best feeling to stand on top of the podium hearing the national anthem being played!”

More: Further success for Liam in the Bristol Open »

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