Glory is the goal for teams at Littlehampton’s ‘World Cup’

Her latest fund-raising exploit, the Littlehampton World Cup Charity Challenge, may only be set in the humble grounds of The Littlehampton Academy’s modern artificial turf, but Emma certainly feels it will have the pulling power to attract a good-sized crowd.

The event, on March 17, will see 16 teams of up to 10 people from local companies in the Gazette area competing in a seven-a-side tournament to determine which squad has the best skills on the ball.

It is being organised in conjunction with Pro Coaching Football Academy, which is based at the school.

Emma admitted she didn’t have a great knowledge of the game and wasn’t the most natural player on the pitch, but said she was going to give the competition a real shot.

“I’m rubbish when it comes to football, that’s why I’m getting the Pro Coaching Academy involved,” she said. “I love arranging things that everyone can get involved with and football seemed like a really good activity.

“The idea is to try and find 16 businesses in the area, big or small, to take part in our World Cup-style event.

“I’m sure it’s going to be a brilliant time and I’m really looking forward to see all the spectators cheering on their teams.”

Registration for the day is now open. Teams applying must have a combined age of more than 250 years.

The entry fee is £150 per squad, with a percentage of the cash going towards Emma’s two charities, Cancerwise and Home-Start Arun, after costs.

Mark Beauchamp, founder of Pro Coaching, said: “This is going to be a unique event in Littlehampton and one that we’re all very excited to be a part of. Obviously, it will be a competition but we really want teams to come down and compete for a the fun of it. The winners will be able to say that they were the first to be crowned Littlehampton World Cup champions.”

Emma’s charity kitty for her year in office stands at around £18,000.

To register for the Littlehampton World Cup, call Mark on 718400 or email [email protected]