Members of the Hibernian FC supporters, staff, coaches and the wider Hibs family all came together as one to take part in the inaugural Ron Gordon 24-hour Football Challenge over the weekend.
In total, 441 players took to the field at HTC across the course of 24 hours, in the charity match organised by the Hibernian Community Foundation (HCF) in memory of our late Executive Chairman, Ron Gordon.
Kit and Ian Gordon kicked off the event on Saturday at 3pm, starting the continuous match which lasted all the way through the night and into the early hours of the morning before finishing at 3pm the following day with Dnipro Kids rounding off the final slot of the epic event.
The challenge was played in great spirit and perfectly encapsulated Ron’s ever-lasting commitment to the Club, his dedication to our foundation and his passion for the Hibs supporters.
The event – which was proudly sponsored by Utilitia Giving – truly brought the whole club together with participants ranging from supporter groups to local clubs and charities with members of the Hibernian FC Coaching staff getting involved as well – with Lee Johnson, David Gray, Jamie McAllister and Darren McGregor all taking to the field to support this great cause.
Members of the Hibernian FC First Team also stayed behind on Saturday and Sunday after training to support everyone participating in the challenge!
Hibs Chief Executive, Ben Kensell, (who played for several hours of the challenge) commented:
“It was a truly fantastic event which was played in great spirit for a brilliant cause. The whole challenge perfectly captured everything that personified Ron Gordon; camaraderie, innovation and a whole lot of fun!
“Our Foundation have done an excellent job of pulling this all together and we would like to thank everyone who helped organise, volunteer and support this event!”
Mags McPherson, Chair of the Hibernian Community Foundation added:
“We would like to thank everyone who participated in the challenge and to all those that have donated too! This event has been extremely rewarding and a perfect way to celebrate Ron’s legacy and his impact on the Club.
“It was great to see so many Hibernian FC supporters support the challenge and connect with the Club in a unique way – going forward this is something we would like to make an annual event!”
All the funds raised will go towards supporting the Hibernian Community Foundation with their outreach programmes and will help fund three free lunches per week (for an entire year) at Easter Road for members of the local community.
Keys Stats:
Total players: 441
Full-time score: White Shirts 119 – 113 Green Shirts
Youngest participant: Two years old
Goals scored: 232
Check out the full photo gallery here!
Photo credits: Simon Wootton (Ecosse Photo)