Tunisia terror attack: Sports tournament launched in memory of Wednesbury teenager Joel Richards
A sporting tournament has been launched in memory of Joel Richards, the Wednesbury teenager who died in last year's mass shooting in Tunisia.
Organisers of the Gaelic football contest said they wanted to keep his spirit alive and hope to turn it into an annual event.
The 19-year-old former Stuart Bathurst pupil 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 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."
Joel was gunned down while on holiday in Sousse in June, alongside his uncle Adrian Evans, of Bilston, and grandfather Patrick Evans, while his 16-year-old brother Owen survived. A total of 38 people lost their lives in the terror attack.
Club president Tony Donahoe said: "He was a lovely lad, the whole family are. We always wanted to do something in his memory and this pre-season tournament seemed a good way to do it.
"Although he wasn't Irish, Joel loved the game, and he was a great player. His grandfather Pat made sure he and his brother Owen got to all the matches. It's still unbelievably sad what happened."
In December a sports hall at Wednesbury Leisure Centre was named after Joel, who was a football referee and big Saddlers fan. He was also posthumously awarded a BBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero accolade for his dedication to sport.
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 Owen Richards will present the memorial trophy to the winning side.
