A sporting tournament has been launched in memory of Walsall supporter Joel Richards, who was killed alongside his Uncle Adrian Evans and Grandfather Charles 'Patrick' Evans during last year's terror attack on the Tunisian resort of Sousse.
Organisers of the Gaelic football contest said they wanted to keep Joel's spirit alive and hope to turn it into an annual event.
Joel played for Birmingham-based James Connolly's Gaelic Football Club where he was a popular and talented member of the team.
Club manager Derek Heffernan spoke to the Express & Star, and said: "We have a lot of players that Joel meant a lot to and we decided he was such a big part of our under-age set-up, we wanted to do something to remember him by.
"He was a stalwart of the club and although I wasn't manager at the time Joel was playing, I felt the shock and sadness within the club when he died.
"By setting up an annual tournament in his memory, we'll be ensuring that he will never be forgotten. In 20 years time, when one of the young players asks 'Who was Joel Richards?' we'll be able to tell them."
The inaugural Joel Richards Memorial Tournament kicked off at Aldersley High School, Wolverhampton, on Saturday with Joel's former team mates losing to local side St Mary's GFC, who are in a division above them in the Warwickshire Football League.
The Wolverhampton club will now play Four Masters GFC in the final this Saturday at a venue to be decided. It is hoped Joel's brother Owen will present the memorial trophy to the winning side.
SOURCE | EXPRESS & STAR