The late football “missionary’’ Johnny Warren will again be honoured when a tournament celebrates its 20th year.
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The 20th annual Johnny Warren Memorial Cup will take place at Kevin Walsh Oval, Jamberoo on February 3-4.
The seven-a-side tournament is held as a fundraiser for the Johnny Warren Football Foundation and attracts teams from the Illawarra and other parts of NSW.
The foundation provides funds for the development of youth football in Australia.
Warren captained the Socceroos in 27 matches.
After his retirement in 1974, he began a successful career as a broadcaster.
In 2004, following the A-League launch, Warren died of lung cancer, aged 61.
Warren lived in Jamberoo for almost the last 10 years of his life.
Warren’s nephew Jamie, one of the event organisers who also runs the Johnny Warren Football Foundation said 76 teams had already registered across five divisions.
The tournament features two women’s divisions (Open and over-30s) and three men’s divisions (over-35s, over-45s and over-50s).
“It has to be one of the largest sevens comps in Australia in any sport,” he said.
Mr Warren said as the tournament celebrated its 20th year, Jamberoo Football Club had become more involved in the running of the 2017 event.
“That will give it a more local flavour,” he said.
“They’re going to help run the event; the long-term plan is that they’re going to host it, with help from some other people like myself.”
He said high-ranking, retired A-League referee Strebre Delovski had pledged to officiate the men’s Over-35s final if he didn’t have prior football-related commitments.
A bronze statue of Johnny Warren was unveiled outside Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Easter Sunday last year.
The former Socceroo played his last game for St George at the Sydney Sports Ground, where his sculpture now stands.
Jamie Warren described his relative as a “visionary and a missionary”.
“He was passionate about seeing the game grow and having the people in the game recognised and treated equally.
“People say the game wouldn’t be where it is today without his passion, his hard work and the journalistic skills he had to push the message.”
Last year’s Johnny Warren Memorial Cup also celebrated the formation of the Johnny Warren Community (#JWC).
The JWC aims to deliver the history of Australian football to fans across all forms of social media.
Jamie Warren said it was a “fabulous vehicle for John’s supporters”.
He also praised the hard work of people like Kiama’s Shane Gallagher, who had been involved in the tournament since its inception.
