The Herefordshire FA was proud to present a festival of football at the SSAFA County Ground to support Armed Forces Day on Saturday 24 June, in partnership with the Army FA.

The event saw Wellington Vets, Hereford Pegasus Mens and Hereford Pegasus Ladies beat the Army Reserve Masters, Mens and Ladies teams, following an exhibition match involving the First Light Trust/Help For Heroes weekly drop-in players. Over 600 people attended the event throughout the day.

A range of activities were well-attended, with the Lord-Lieutenant of Herefordshire represented by Air Commodore Tim Howson DL, the Chair of SSAFA in the county. Also present were the Right Worshipful the Mayor of Hereford, Cllr Jacqui Carwardine, and Colonel David Jones OBE, Vice-Chair of Army Football. They all showed their support and presented trophies to the winning teams, and individual Player of The Match awards.

With stalls from a range of partners including 6 Rifles, The Royal British Legion, Hereford FC, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and SSAFA Herefordshire the day was a fantastic occasion and one that it is hoped will become an annual event.

Alan Darfi, HFA CEO said ‘‘The Armed Forces community is a huge part of Herefordshire life therefore it was great to be able to put on this event to support the fantastic work they do. I would like to place on record our sincere thanks to everyone who helped make the day so great including the three Herefordshire sides and Lads Club who provided use of their facilities.’’

Kev Ebsworth from SSAFA Herefordshire said “This excellent tournament underlined the commitment of Herefordshire FA to support the Armed Services community. We in SSAFA – The Armed Forces Charity are proud to be linked with the Herefordshire FA, and we were very pleased to be at this well-organised event on Armed Forces Day. We will definitely be there next year!”

Steve Clout, Army FA said ‘’We were delighted to get the invitation to be part of Herefordshire Football Association’s Armed Forces Day Celebrations. The players, officials and staff had a fantastic weekend in Hereford, enjoying both the football and hospitality. We appreciate the support given to the Armed Forces and never take this for granted. We hope to repeat this in the future. A big thank you to Alan and the staff at Herefordshire FA, SSAFA, 6 Rifles and everyone else that made it a fantastic day.’’

For further information please email info@herefordshirefa.com