TWENTY degree heat didn’t deter the footballers of Corsham AFC who tackled a gruelling 12 hour football marathon for Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

The club came out in force at Leafy Lane playing fields on Saturday for the challenge, which saw around 17 parents and coaches playing non-stop football from 10am to 10pm with various youth sides.

“A few of us at the club are in the military or have been at one time, so we wanted to support a charity that benefits that,” Ian Pike, Under 8s manager, who spent 16 years in the military, said.

“We decided on Scotty’s Little Solders, which supports children and young people who have lost a parent, given that we are based in quite a military driven area and we have many members whose sons and daughters play for the club or give up their time to coach the teams.

“We had a team of about 17 adults consisting of coaches and parents who played throughout the day with our youth sides in this weather.

“Everyone got lots of food and water breaks because the weather was just so tiring. It was very unexpected.”

The marathon effort from the footballers has so far raised over £1,000 but the club is still counting.

“We are really pleased with how much we have managed to raise,” Mr Pike added. “We are quite a community focused club so we knew we would be well supported but to get past the £1,000 mark is brilliant.

“A lot of our members have worked really hard and committed so much time to this in the last four weeks, so to see it do so well is fantastic.”

For more information or to donate to AFC Corsham’s cause visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/afccorshamfccharityevent

‘A lot of our members have worked really hard and committed so much time to this in the last four weeks’