Over the weekend, we hosted our annual Christmas Football Tournament at the local Spanos Mini Football Club on Lesvos.
280 playful and excited children gathered together from Moria Camp, Kara Tepe and the local Moria villiage. Aged six to 18, camp resident and local Greek children played and celebrated in harmony, with Santa Claus even making a surprise visit to hand out gifts and snacks after the tournament.
Santa Claus made a guest appearance at the 2019 Christmas Football Tournament.
The day long tournament was structured by age, with skill-based activities organised for the children aged six to nine and matches of football, basketball and volleyball organised for the boys and girls aged ten plus.
“The day was not about winning – there wasn’t even a trophy – it was all about having fun and sharing together,” sports program coordinator Konstantina Vougioukalou explains. “It was such a nice and festive atmosphere, you could hear the laughter all around the fields!”
Some of the boys getting ready to take the field for a football match.
The tournament was organised by 25 local and international coaches, with the support of two visiting volunteers. The program for the day was inspired by the philosophy and values of both Movement and Barca Foundation.
“We received so many smiles and together, we created magical moments that we will remember forever,” Konstantina said.
The tournament lasted 10 hours in total and it’s a guarantee that every minute was enjoyable for all.
It was all smiles at this year's tournament!