SoccerAmPmAm

The following is a guest post from Paul Newton on behalf of SoccerAmPmAm: On 9th June 2010, I lost my Dad to a condition called Wegeners Granulomatosis. His passing, at the premature age of just 66, came close to breaking me. I found my peace in the weeks after his loss by running. It was during one of these runs that I decided that I had to do something in my Dads memory to try and help others with the condition and maybe, just maybe, stop others from going through what me and my family are going through. He had a passion for football and it was while playing junior football, for the team that my Dad managed, that I really became close to him and sitting with him at the Stadium of Light watching Sunderland with my Dad are some of the very best memories that I have of him. So I decided to organise an endurance game of football and, while looking on the internet for ideas , found that the world record for the longest game of 5-a-side football was 33 hours and so set out to play for 36 hours and get into the Guinness book of records. So, how does it all work? Simple. Two squads of 8 players. So 5 on the court and 3 subs at any one time. Normal 5-a-side rules apply and for each complete hour of football played, you bank 5 minutes of rest time that can be built up and taken in larger sections. So if you play for 4 hours, you can take a 20 minute break for example. Having looked at other similar challenges, I would estimate that this is the equivalent of running around 90km over a period of 36 hours. We have a squad of 20 guys that have been in training since November for this and the fittest (or last 16 standing) will be selected closer to the event. We are having regular 5km timed runs, we are having circuit sessions and then building up from 2 hour 5-a-side sessions to 3, 4, 5 hour sessions then a few 8 hour session. The event is called SoccerAmPmAM and is being held at the Soccerdome in North shields. We aim to have a series of events alongside the football such as a number of live bands, a zumba class, a bouncy castle and loads more so that you can come down on the day, take part then stay a while and cheer us along. Its a huge shame that Kieron wont be available on the night that the world record is clinched as it clashes with Eurovision night on the 13th and 14th May...but anyone else, we would love to see you there. We are also looking for anyone that can donate raffle prizes (hopefully a star Prize!), can help with adjudication, can recommend masseurs or any other advice that you think we can use.....even jump onto the blog and leave messages of support, it all helps I promise. Pulman, the VM and Seat car dealership, have generously sponsored us to the tune of £1,000 but we hope to raise more than £5,000 in total, the money going to the Guys and St Thomas Trust who have a particular fund dedicated to research into the condition, the Wegeners Trust. The money donated will be used to fund a research team that are, apparently, very close to making significant breakthroughs in their understanding of the disease and so, hopefully, a cure. You can donate here. Or find out more about whats happening and our training here. Or look into whats happening at the Wegeners trust here. Or follow us on Twitter @Soccerampmam Or Facebook What I'm listening to right now: Slow Jams