Pearce Funeral Services have announced that they are the main sponsor of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s men’s football team for 2020.
Pearce Funeral Services is an independent, family run funeral directors, providing a truly personal service for the people of Swindon, and all surrounding areas.
The Church of England football
team are scheduled to play in the National Christian Football Festival which
takes place in Wales in July 2020.
John Pearce, managing director of Pearce Funeral Services, said, “We’re delighted to be sponsoring such an amazing activity. Sport brings people together. The church is something that we as a business, and myself personally, hold very dear to our hearts.
“With 10 million people playing sports in 150,000 sports clubs every week, this is a fantastic opportunity for the Church of England to reach out to young people.”
The team has been invited to play against the Swiss Guards and Vatican National Team in Rome in 2020. Additionally, they’ve been invited to join a Lutheran conference in Frankfurt in May 2021 where 120,000 people gather. They will take part in football tournaments throughout that week.
The Revd Pouya Heidari, Curate in the Church of England Diocese of Durham and captain of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s men’s team, said, “We’re thrilled to have Pearce Funeral Services sponsor the men’s team. It will go a long way to providing the team with a kit and will also go towards the travel expenses.”
Up until their matches in Wales and Europe, the team is due to play in friendlies and tournaments in and around the UK. They’ll compete against teams from different faiths, groups, religious communities and secular clubs, not just Christian teams, some of which are even semi-professional and professional.
Pouya said, “Everyone involved is hugely passionate about football and we’re very excited to see how it can be used for outreach into their various communities”.
The team’s coach is Maurice Hepworth who played for Sunderland from 1969 – 1976. He was part of the FA Cup-winning squad in 1973 before injury cut his playing career in the UK short.
All sponsorships received goes towards subsidising training camps, contribution towards airline tickets, accommodation and food for the games in & outside the UK.
Pouya said, “Not only will The Archbishop of Canterbury’s football team benefit their physical health through playing, they can greatly enrich the sense of community and belonging and social wellbeing.”
Inspirational leader, Nelson Mandela, once said “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”
Pearce Funeral Services is included in The Good Funeral Guide, an independent consumer guide for the funeral industry. They only recommend those funeral directors who meet the most stringent criteria. Pearce Funeral Services has been included because they abide by the highest professional standards, offer all choices available, provide outstanding personal service, give relatives all the time they need and represent a superb financial value.
For more information, visit www.pearcefuneralservices.co.uk
Editors Notes
Pearce Funeral Services are a member of, and abide by, the code of conduct of The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) and The National Society of Allied & Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF).
They also provide a range of related services including pre-payment funeral plans, monumental masonry and an after-care service.
Media Enquiries relating to Revd Poya Heidari and Maurice Hepworth should be addressed to Keith Blundy, 07900 583131 or communications@durham.anglican.org.