A team set up by a local amateur football legend Roberto Pietraforte has raised in the region of £60,000 since 2015 and will play its first charity match since Covid-19 and lockdown as the Angels return to take on a Long Eaton Magpie XI on Thursday night with proceeds going towards the Mind Charity and raising vital funds for mental health.
Nicknamed the Angels for the good that they do, AC Wollaton have over the years not just raised money and awareness but have also supplied hospitals and children with local football heroes bearing gifts at Christmas and Easter with a growing number of participants spread from the Nottingham football family including celebrity endorsements from the likes of Jeff Sterling and Forest stars Matty Cash & Ryan Yates with signed gifts auctioned on from soccer legends like Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Receiving charity status in 2016, a year after AC played their first game, Pietraforte explained “We have supported vital charities such as the Rainbows Hospice who support children with limited life expectancy, Duchenne UK, The Manchester Bombing victims, The Grenfell disaster, Ward E39 which is the child cancer ward at he QMC, The children’s Bereavement Centre, The Stroke unit at Nottingham City Hospital, MIND, Teenage Cancer, Wish upon a Star.”
He furthered “There are hundreds more including the Homeless and individuals who are suffering financial hardship. To date we have roughly raised somewhere in the region of 60k. This figure could be higher”
In 2019 AC travelled as an England XI to play Scotland in a friendly and were supposed to return the favour this year but for lockdown halting that and many more proposed events including a match that was going to be played against a star studded Norwich City side at Carrow Road. Next year AC have already mapped out plans to play a Welsh XI at Briton Ferry Llansawel FC and will look to host Scotland as well as play many more local sides along the way.
The team itself has largely been made up of semi-professional and amateur footballers (along with the odd pro) well known within the local community and as well as playing their part and donating time and money to these great causes their players have often also dressed up in super hero outfits and visited local hospitals supplying children with gifts and generally providing a feel good factor through what they do.
On explaining the cause in simplicity, organiser and creator Pietreforte stated “We harness the power of football to help those in need and to enhance their lives through doing what we do.”
With Eastwood Manager James Jepson making his AC playing debut the team captained by John Manders and Scott Litchfield will play a charity match in memory of Scott Longland at Radford FC on Thursday night (27th August 2020) with a 7:30pm kick off to raise money for Mind.
Full squad: John Manders, Scott Litchfield, Luke Burrell, Liam Robertson, Glenn Guyatt, Craig Wing, Olivier Gee, Keith Henstock, Chase Marcham, Jahred Russell, Conor Moore, Robert England, Macauley Tinsley, Grant Walton, Sam Ralph, Jonathon Andrews, Ryan Perkins, Lyam Webster, Ben Moore, Ali West, Nathan Kelly, James Jepson, Josh Burkitt, Terry Hawkridge.
*Main image @AC_Charity the team of Notts footballers have raised over £60,000 since 2015.
