On both Saturday and Sunday (June 29-30), hundreds of members of the football community in Peterborough and wider Cambridgeshire gathered to honour the memory of one of their own.
Well over 300 junior players from 53 teams took part in the Stef Barsby Memorial Tournament, hosted by Thorpe Wood Rangers at their base at Woodlands in Castor.
The tournament was the second edition of the now annual tournament to pay tribute to the memory of Stef, who passed away after a short battle with cancer in November 2022.
Stef was a much-loved figure in local football and was involved in the running of Thorpe Wood for almost 20 years.
Starting out when her son Lee was 11 years old before going on to join the committee and assisting in the running of the club for many years.
Stef was in the process of planning the first edition of the tournament when she sadly passed away.
Therefore, Stef’s family- which includes Keith Barsby (Chairman), her daughter Jade (Treasurer) and her partner Anton Barrett (Club Secretary) along with the rest of the club’s committee decided to rename the tournament in honour of Stef.
Organised by Anton, along with John Martins, Kyle Nottingham and Andy Readshaw, the tournament ran over two days with boys ranging from under 9s to under 14s taking part on Saturday before the girls took to the stage on Sunday, with ages ranging from under 8s to under 12s.
The girls tournament is believed to be one of the first dedicated girls football tournaments in Peterborough and drew teams from as far a field at St Ives, Godmanchester, Linton and Corby as well as number of teams based closer to home.
There was also a large number of volunteers who helped with the smooth running of the day.
Anton said: “We are so pleased with the turnout of the tournament in honour of Stef.
"As a club, we estimate that we saw over 1,000 people attend and over 150 games of football being played over the weekend.
"This has created memories that will last a lifetime for the players involved.”
The winners that were crowned were: Deeping United Reds (U9 Boys), Netherton Whites (U11 Boys), Deeping Rangers (U12 Boys), Thorpe Wood Rangers (U13 Boys), Park Farm Pumas (U14 Boys).
Followed by Oundle Town (U10 Girls), Thorpe Wood Purples (U12 Girls A) and Corby Town FC Panthers (U12 Girls B) on Sunday.
1. Stef Barsby Memorial Tournament
Volunteers for the Stef Barsby Memorial Tournament, inset: Stef Barsby. Photo: Dan Temperley
4. Stef Barsby Memorial Tournament
Action between Oundle Town and Girls United- U10 Girls. Photo: Dan Temperley