Roma fans runners-up in International Women's Day tournament

The event took place in Dulwich in London on Saturday. It saw over 250 players attend from both sexes in order to both compete and support the female-focused nonprofit, which aims to bridge the gap between football and education.

King's College London's mixed team included Hannah Skingle, Louis Heming and Tom McEwan. They even reached the final, only to lose on penalties to eventual champions ‘Kai Hung Salt & Pepper Chicken’.

“It was a wonderful event to mark an important day,” said history and philosophy graduate Heming. “We enjoy supporting charities and good causes.

“One of our friends from University also runs a charity football tournament in Rome and for the past five years we have gone over and played in it.”

“He’s a big Roma fan,” added English graduate McEwan. “His whole family are season ticket holders and he gave us the bug. Roma became our favourite European team.

The King's College London team are all now keen followers of Serie A and also have a Fiorentina and Milan fan amongst their ranks. And some of them were even at the Stadio Olimpico to see history back in 2017.

“We saw Francesco Totti in his final season,” says Heming.

“It was really quite emotional. We had brilliant seats and the outpouring of love and passion for Totti and Roma was amazing. Not many clubs have such a personal connection to a player. It's rare and shows you the power of football.”

Skingle, who is currently the COO of Dragonfly Biosciences, is a relatively new addition to the team. The striker is yet to visit Rome or the Olimpico, but excited for her first game.

“I will head out with the team next year,” she says. “I must admit I am a Liverpool supporter, but I can still follow Roma as well.

“It’s been really fun to be part of this team. We are very inclusive. In fact, I believe we were the only mixed team at the International Women’s Day Football Tournament here in London.

“The guys invited me along for a game and I have just stayed ever since. And some of them come and play netball as well. I think International Women’s Day is about inclusion and promoting equal opportunity for both sexes and our team showcases both of these things really well."

King’s College London couldn’t quite leave as champions... but there’s always Rome next year!