COPA SANDINO 2011 – “25 Anos de solidaridad”

We have an invite, it goes thus:

Dear Futbolista y amigo de Nicaragua,

I am contacting you to see if you would like to enter a team for this year’s 25th anniversary Copa Sandino. It will take place on the afternoon of SUNDAY 22nd MAY at Ashton Park Secondary School, Blackmoors Lane, Ashton, Bristol BS3 2JL. Four five a side pitches will be marked out on grass with no rebound boards. This year again Ashton Park school is kindly allowing us to use their sports fields for free so a Big Thanks to them.

The Copa Sandino is a sponsored, charity five-a-side football tournament which raises money to support solidarity and development projects in Nicaragua.. Each team is asked to send us a cheque for £50 as a non-refundable deposit and minimum contribution made out to “BLINC”. Sponsor forms and info will be sent out on receipt of this payment. Players are expected to raise at least £10 per person.

You will need at least one keeper and five outfield players. Please ensure that all players have the same colour shirts. Bibs (yellow) are however available. We will also provide the balls and referees. There will be a DJ and Latino food from 11.30am and the games will start at 12.30pm finishing at 5pm. You will get a minimum of five matches as the bottom 3 in each group go into the “Plato Collett”. Please arrive by 12.00 at the latest. Depending on the weather, you may need football boots/moulded or trainers. Teams from the local Brazilian, Colombian, Spanish and Chilean communities have been invited.

This year we are raising money for development projects in Puerto Morazan and more information on where the money is going will be available on the day from your Jefe Sandinista during the group stages. This year the Nicaraguan Embassy in London are sending their Charge d’Affaires, Senora Guisell Morales to attend the Copa Sandino. She will present Sandino t-shirts to both teams in the final and is offering a bottle of rare Nicaraguan Rum to the team which wins the Nicaraguan quiz. Photos below of the building of a new pre-school in Puerto Morazan using funds raised from Copa Sandino 2010 and a 10K run.

Please call 0117 328 4450 or email: alix.hughes@uwe.ac.uk to book your team a place as 20 spaces are available on a first come first served basis or for further information. Please send your deposit cheque made out to “BLINC” with your team’s name and contact details as soon as possible to guarantee your place to:
BLINC c/o BITA, HLSS St Matthias Campus, UWE, Bristol BS16 2JP

Good luck and see you at the Copa Sandino 2011
En solidaridad Alix Hughes, pp Comite de BLINC