Over the last two weekends, the Dale in the Community Sports Trust have proudly hosted the inaugural Rochdale AFC Mosque Tournament at the Crown Oil Arena.
Taking place on the 5-a-side pitch, and organised by the Trust’s Community Cohesion Officer Syed Ali and Sports For All, we are delighted to say that there has been a great turnout at the event.
First up, last Sunday, was the youth category tournaments, which saw six local mosques battle it out in a fantastic competitive spirit!
The teams who took part were as follows:
Jalalia Mosque FC
Central Idara Mosque FC
Medina Institute Lions FC
Medina Academy FC
Latern Academy FC 1sts
Latern Academy FC 2nds
After the group stages, the semi-finals saw Medina Academy FC tak on Latern FC 2nds, with Medina Institute Lions FC playing Jalalia Mosque FC. Both Medina teams won their respective matches to set up a derby style final won by Medina Institute Lions FC after some brilliant goals and a solid team display.
Both goalkeepers in the final scooped the Player of the Tournament and Fair Play Awards, respectively. Congratulations to both players!
Meanwhile, yesterday (Sunday 7th July), five teams competed in an Open Age Mosque Tournament, with the sides playing with one-hundred percent commitment in a tournament played in high spirits promoting unity and brotherhood.
The five teams who took part were:
Al Quba Mosque FC
Bilal Mosque FC
Central Idara Mosque 1st Team
Central Idara Mosque 2nd Team
Golden Mosque FC
Central Idara Mosque 1st Team and Golden Mosque FC contested the final with Central Idara Mosque FC declared champions after winning 4-3 on spot-kicks after the match had finished in a draw.
The Player of The Tournament Award was picked up by Boihan of Central Idara Mosque 1st Team, with the Fair Play Award awarded to Khalid of Golden Mosque FC.
Rochdale Football Club and the Dale in the Community Sports Trust would like to thank everyone who took part in the tournaments!
A presentation and awards evening will be held at the Crown Oil Arena on a date still to be confirmed.
The tournament was sponsored by MHL Solicitors, situated on Drake Street, Rochdale. Many thanks to them for supporting this fantastic event.