Scottish football fans unite for brilliant cause as thousands raised ahead of Edinburgh event

A football tournament will take place in Edinburgh this week as vital funds are raised for a worthy cause.

Scottish football podcast, Sammon’s Pizzeria, is bringing together teams of creatives, fans of the game and more to an event that will be held at World of Football in Edinburgh, located nearest Slateford train station. The planning has involved local teams, businesses, volunteers, and supporters to make the five-a-side event taking place on June 14th a reality.

The event will be filmed fully and uploaded to YouTube and a number of partners are set to get involved. Those include Eldorado Tonic Wine, PIGGS Wine & Tapas Restaurant, First Class Football Shirts, World of Football and Prime, all getting involved in aid of Dementia Scotland. Already, thousands already raised including over £1,700 through a JustGiving page which can be found HERE.

Why football fans are uniting for good cause

Tournament organisers said: “We have chosen Dementia Scotland as our cause for this event. Dementia Scotland is a Scottish charity focused on supporting people living with dementia and their families. The charity works to raise awareness about dementia, provide information, and offer services that help improve the quality of life for those affected. They advocate for better care and support, work to reduce the stigma surrounding dementia, and aim to create communities that are more inclusive and understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with dementia.

“Dementia Scotland provides a range of services, including practical support for carers, guidance on managing symptoms, and connecting individuals to local services. They also engage in research and campaigns to improve dementia care and influence policy in Scotland. Through their work, they strive to ensure that people with dementia are treated with dignity and respect.

“The charity is a part of Alzheimer’s Scotland, which is a leading dementia organisation in the UK. An estimated 90,000 people in Scotland live with dementia, with around 3,000 of those being under the age of 65. With much of the population affected by dementia one way or another, we thought this tournament is not only a fantastic way to raise much needed funds to help the brilliant work that Dementia Scotland / UK do, but also raise awareness about such a devastating disease that destroys the lives of so many people and their loved ones.”

Tournament format

• 40 teams divided into 8 groups of 5 teams
• 6 pitches are in use, Start matches at 12pm.
• Two matches per group happen simultaneously.
• Match length: 10 mins straight through

Group Phase Scheduled to finish by 2.40pm.

Knockout tournaments:

• The best two ranked teams in every group split into one bracket as a “Champions League”
• The four best performing third-placed teams join the two teams above them.
• The 8 “worst ranked” teams will play in the Plate tournament.
• Each game will last 10 minutes, until the Semi-Finals, where games will stretch to 12.5 minutes.
• Play will resume at 3.15pm.
• First round of fixtures: 6/8 Eldorado Cup Round of 16 ties
• Second round of fixtures: 2/8 Eldorado Cup Ro16 & 4/8 Pizza Plate Ro16.
• Six pitches will reduce to four after this slot.
• Third round of fixtures: 4/8 Pizza Plate Ro16.
• Fourth round of fixtures: Eldorado Cup QFs
• Fifth round of fixtures: Pizza Plate QFs
• Eldorado Cup Semis (4.10pm)
• Pizza Plate Semis (4.20pm)
• Down to 2 pitches from 4.30pm
• Sammon’s Shield Final (4.30pm)
• Pizza Plate Final (4.40pm)