Darcy’s Cup marks tenth anniversary with move to Oakwell for final
AN annual football tournament played in memory of six-year-old Darcy Jo Burke who died of an inoperable brain tumour in 2014 has finally achieved its ambition of playing the final at Oakwell.
Darcy’s Cup was founded in 2013 to raise funds for Darcy, of Darfield, and her family to allow them to make memories and enjoy precious time together and subsequent competitions have raised funds for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice where she spent her final days.
Now in its 10th year, in excess of £15,000 has been raised for the hospice and Darcy’s father Dave said: “The cup was the idea of a friend of mine Joe Gibbons and the initial fundraiser for the family allowed us to do so many things with Darcy.
“And then we decided that Bluebell Wood was a place we wanted to support.
“It is a fantastic place and offers so much in terms of being there for all the family.”
This year’s competition is already underway with 16 teams from all over the area competing for the cup.
The semi finals take place at Houghton Main on August 26 and at Wombwell Main on August 28 with the final to be played at Oakwell with the date yet to be confirmed.
“Joe had the idea of starting the cup because Darcy’s story touched so many people and people just felt helpless as did we.
“He buys all the medals out of his own money and he has been tireless in his aim of getting the final played at Oakwell and this year it has paid off,” said Dave.
“Joe and his wife Joanne do so much to make it happen and this is an acknowledgement of their commitment to keeping Darcy’s memory alive.”