Colney Heath FC are set to host a youth football tournament as part of celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Supported by a grant from the Trident Community Foundation, the Magpies are organising small-sided matches for children, with live music, food, and other entertainment to celebrate 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.

Club secretary Richard Smith is excited about the event and hopes the village will be out in force.

“We’re based in quite a small village, so we get people who like football and who are familiar with us and then there’s some other members of the community not so much,” he said.

“We just thought with the jubilee coming up, it would be really great to put on a community-based tournament and have stalls there.

“It’s not meant to be something that’s hugely competitive.

“There are going to be a lot of national celebrations going on, so this is what we started to plan ahead for, to have over the course of the weekend.

“We can have some events and get the community coming up and seeing a different side to us, rather than just poor parking and whatever on a Saturday.

“We are aware of the responsibility we have as a large organisation within the village and therefore I feel responsibility to put on such events at such times.

“It is exciting, it is fun and it’s really great when things work out and people enjoy themselves and talk about it afterwards.

“That’s where you get your rewards, when people recognise that you’ve done it and you’ve done it well.”

Richard has fond memories of previous jubilees, continuing: “I think it’s because we recognise that it needs to be acknowledged - it’s the jubilee.

“From our childhoods – well certainly from my childhood – I can remember in 1977 when there was the Silver Jubilee and it was very memorable, having street parties and everyone getting involved and waving bunting and things like that.

“It’s the sort of thing that can unite people rather than divide people.”

The event also provides Colney Heath with a chance to revitalise their youth teams, with numbers starting to decline despite the U18 side winning their league this season.

“I think our youngest side at the moment, shockingly, is U11s, so what we’d really like to do is open it up again and go back to a lot younger age groups and just to let them play football with a smile on their faces and don’t take it too seriously and enjoy it. That’s what we’re really aiming for,” Richard added.