A TEAM of young footballers from Badshot Lea have joined forces to raise money toward buying padded winter jackets ahead of the cold season.

Players from Gladiators and Gladiators Blue under-9s football clubs set off on a five-kilometre walk around Alice Holt Forest on November 4 with the aim of raising a minimum of £25 each.

Each training jacket costs £28 and will last the players two seasons.

Fourteen members of the team and their families gathered outside The Hare and Hounds pub in Rowledge before setting off on the five-kilometre blue trail, but the team’s goalkeeper suffered an injury early on. Determined to carry on, the young footballer finished the walk along with his team mates.

The Hare and Hounds supported the event and, once they had completed the walk, welcomed the youngsters and their families back for squash and chips.

One mum said: “We as parents wanted the boys to learn the value of having to work for something and to work as a team to get it.

“It’s not about giving them the money to just ‘have it’ - we wanted them to earn it.

“Their manager Chris is so incredibly passionate about football and teaching the boys that football is not just about learning skills but is fun, inclusive and a team game.”

To make a donation, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/blfc-gladiators.