Registrations are open for Chefs' Football tournament

Michelin-starred Chef Paul Foster and the international charity Farm Africa invite teams across the UK food and hospitality industry to compete for the coveted Chefs' Football trophy, in a bid to support farmers across eastern Africa, at two charity football tournaments this summer.

The five-a-side friendly football fundraisers will take place in Birmingham, at GOALS, Star City, on Sunday 11 June and in London, at PowerLeague, Shoreditch, on Sunday 30 July.

Both tournaments allow up to ten players per team, at an entry fee of £250 for Birmingham or £300 for London. It’s a great opportunity to get out of the kitchen and onto the pitches this summer by uniting colleagues and making every tackle count.

Paul Foster commented:

“After the success of last year's tournament, I’m so excited that we are doing not one but two this year. Hitting Birmingham and London means we can offer spaces to so many more teams and in turn raise more funds and awareness about Farm Africa’s great work.”

“After our first event in 2013, we have grown every year. Now 10 years later, this will be our biggest year yet, hoping to raise up to £15,000.”

Farm Africa works to reduce poverty by helping farmers in eastern Africa to grow their incomes in an environmentally sustainable way. The charity helps farmers to not only boost yields, but also gain access to markets, while protecting the environment for generations to come.

This unique fundraiser is a great day out for the food and hospitality industry to network, unite and demonstrate their commitment to sustainable global food systems.

Tim Brady, Operations Director at RH Amar, who were champions at the Chefs’ Football 2022 tournament, commented: “RH Amar loved every minute of this event, friendly teams, great sports and the Farm Africa team are all lovely!”

Steph Armstrong, Farm Africa Events & Partnerships Officer, added: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the food and hospitality industry to network and have some fun while making a difference to farmers' lives in eastern Africa. Early team applications are encouraged!"

Food industry teams interested in taking part in this year's Chefs’ Football can register at www.farmafrica.org/chefs-football-tournament.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.