Essex football rivals to unite for charity games
Players from Southend United, Leyton Orient and Colchester United will be playing
A football event featuring local Essex legends and rivals uniting to raise money for charity is taking place this weekend.
The Essex Charity Cup, held at Southend United's stadium, Roots Hall, on Sunday, will raise money for the Justin Edinburgh 3 Foundation.
The Justin Edinburgh 3 Foundation aims to increase survival rates after cardiac arrest. It was set up after Justin Edinburgh, a former Leyton Orient manager and Tottenham Hotspur player, died aged just 49, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The event will also serve as a testimonial for Southend United defender John White.
Organiser Rylee Doe, 20, tells us it will be a real treat for football fans: "We've got over 45 ex-professionals playing from Southend, Leyton Orient and Colchester.
"Whilst there's a big rivalry between the three clubs, I've always believed that what you can achieve off the pitch is worth so much more than what you can do on it."
He says all the players taking part - players include Jobi McAnuff, Mark Phillips and Sammy Szmodics to name a few - are taking part voluntarily: "Not one of them has taken a penny, which is very kind of them, especially at the time of the season where a lot of footballers like to jet away on holiday.
"I know a few that have put it on hold or postponed, which is very kind of them because obviously without the players, we wouldn't have an event to put on." TV host and former reality TV star, Mark Wright, will also be playing on the day: "He's always brilliant in Soccer Aid and he usually steals the show, but seeing as he'll be playing for the Leyton Orient team and I'm a Southend supporter, I'm hoping he doesn't have too good of a game!"
The event has been going for several years now, after Rylee launched the yearly event when he was just 13: "The charity match started out as 22 school kids that just wanted to raise some funds.
"Now, this Sunday, I'll be standing next to people that I've worshipped for years - my favourite footballers. We've even got Mark Wright playing, who everyone watches on the telly. It's a real pinch yourself moment and I can't thank the players enough for what they're doing.
"To see it grow from what it was to what it is now, it's fantastic and great to know the money we've raised will have impacted people's lives."
Whilst they haven't set a fundraising goal, Rylee's set his sights high: "We just want to raise as much money as we can... We've already sold over 600 tickets and raised more in the lead up to this event than we have in all of the past four events, so hopefully the total will be a big number and we can help the Justin Edinburgh 3 Foundation as much as possible."
For more information on the event, click here.