Charity football Match in ‘true gent’s’ memory
Tournament to help raise vital funds for the British Heart Foundation
A CHARITY football match in memory of a ‘true gentleman’ is aiming to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.
Kev Dixey, from Fareham, was out cycling in May last year when he died suddenly from a heart attack at the age of 50.
His partner, Kirstie Cooper, together with a group of Kev’s friends, are marking the anniversary of his death by putting on the event which will be held at Fareham Town FC at 3pm on May 7.
Kirstie said: ‘Kev was kind, friendly, and a true gentlemen. He loved to socialise and had a wicked sense of humour.
‘We’d been a couple for three years, but I’d known Kev for more than 25 years, and in all that time I never heard anyone say a bad word about him.
‘Losing Kev was the worst thing to ever happen in my life. I miss him terribly.’
A committed amateur footballer, Kev was well-known in Fareham and Portchester due to his association with many of the football teams in the area. Before his death he was still playing in the mid-Solent league, even though he was often 30-years older than some of his teammates.
To honour his memory, the local football community is coming together to put on a memorial match. Two sides made up of Kev’s teammates past and present will play a match. After the game there will be an evening of entertainment involving a DJ, raffle, and bar.
Kirstie said: ‘Football was Kev’s passion in life. He played his whole life and getting a game was his number one priority. So, this is the perfect way to remember him.
‘The match is also really important because so many of his friends didn’t get a chance to say a proper goodbye. When Kev died it was during one of the lockdowns. It meant that we could only have 20 people at the funeral when we really needed space for a couple of hundred.
‘This match is a chance for them to come together and remember Kev in a way he would have loved while raising money for a good cause.’
In the district of Fareham, around 350 people die each year from heart or circulatory disease. The BHF funds research into all heart and circulatory diseases, such as congenital heart disease, stroke and vascular dementia, and their risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Will Ham, fundraising manager for the BHF, said: ‘We are very honoured to have been chosen as the beneficiaries of this memorial match.
‘Over the past six decades, the BHF has supported breakthroughs that have helped to halve the number of people who die each year from heart and circulatory diseases.
‘However, we know we can do more. That’s why the support from this event is so crucial as it will enable us to fund scientists who looking for the next life-saving discovery.’
Tickets for the match are £5 for an adult and £1 for children.
They can be bought on the day or in advance from the following locations:
n The Wicor Mill, Portchester
n The Seagull, Portchester
n The Castle In The Air, Fareham
n The Delme Inn, Fareham
n The Duke of Connaught, Fareham
n Fareham Town Football Club
n The Bird in Hand, Fareham