Routes Europe 2016 kicks off with a charity football match

Laura Hamill April 24, 2016

Before the meetings took place at Routes Europe 2016 in Krakow, the Messis and Ronaldos of the aviation world took to the pitch for a charity football tournament. The tournament was sponsored by The Best of France, and it took place at the University of Economics.

Around 15 delegates swapped suits for yellow, red and black t-shirts to get involved in the kick around. Three teams of five were created, and the tournament was host to some Sunday League candidates amongst top flight delegates who had come to show their skills.

The dominant squad of the tournament was the red side. They took more goals than any other, playing as a solid unit and came together as a formidable line up. Fun and games were had, but each side took the tournament in their stride – in spite and in thanks to a lackadaisical referee, who shall not be named.

But the other sides were not without their chances, but conversions were the expertise of the red team. They gelled to make the aviation version of Barcelona 2009: an unrivalled and unbeaten squad.

Of the fifteen there was only one woman who put herself forward – Routes' own Donna McHale, on the black squad. Despite her best efforts, she was a Torres at Chelsea, rather than a Torres at Liverpool when it came to goal scoring. Their side could not match the prowess of the red team, who went on to win the tournament with ease. However, Ms McHale was awarded the (wo)man of the match prize by the event sponsor.

The tournament was a great way to kick off a busy schedule at the biggest ever Routes Europe event – the football was an added bonus to raising money for a good cause.

The money raised from the charity football tournament is going to pay for the treatment of Oskar Kaczmarczyk, the son of an employee at Krakow Airport. Oskar is only seven years old, and is suffering from Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis type 2 – an incurable neurodegenerative brain disease.

Oskar is in the care of Help on Time foundation, who help seriously ill children. The money raised at the tournament will go towards providing care to Oskar through the Help on Time foundation. This institution is engaged in saving the lives of children, restoring them to health and promoting their education. They look after more than 29,000 children suffering from various diseases including cerebral palsy, autism and cancer.

Alongside the football tournament, our host, Kraków Airport, has also launched the first Routes Europe Run, with the first of three 4km charity runs taking place on the morning of April 23, 2016 and April 24, 2016. A subsequent run will also take place on April 26, 2016 at 6pm. It is open to all delegates and follow along the bridges of Wisła River from a starting point at the Wawel Dragon Statue at the foot of the Wawel Castle Hill in front of Wawel Dragon’s Den. You can find out more here.