Suel Delgado's football club take on mammoth fundraising challenge
Tap to watch a video report on Loxwood's FC's fundraising challenge
The pitch is empty, the goals are sealed off and the sidelines have been silenced but at football club is on a mammoth challenge to support mental health.Loxwood FC near Billingshurst in West Sussex has not only lost the ability to play football, but also one of its players.
Suel Delgado was on the youth team but in December 2019, while on a night out with friends, the 19-year old was murdered in a hit and run on Brighton seafront.
Chairman Mark Lacey says, "He fitted in well, he would always come up to me, shake my hand and say 'hello boss'. For some reason he would always call me boss. He'd come to games when he wasn't picked to play, he would come to training sessions and was improving week on week.
"Some of the younger lads took it really hard. It was a tough time and then we went into the virus and into the lockdown."
"People say it's only a game of football there are more important things but we've got players here who've lost their football, they've lost their jobs so this challenge is helping their mental health. Football is a massive void in people's lives."With the pandemic giving the game a red card, it's been difficult for the players being without their game.
Over the last four weeks they have run 1000 miles (the distance to Barcelona and back) both day and night.
It's been a huge challenge which they've been doing to raise £1,000 for the charity, Mind in West Sussex.
Lewis Westlake is captain and says, "I've really struggled, I've always played football since I was eight, nine, ten...it's been a passion for me. Your Saturday afternoon, especially for football people, is what you work towards throughout Monday to Friday and you look forward to your football on Saturday. Not having that football has left me at a bit of loose end.
"I think for me personally I got to know myself better, it's made me realise people are more fragile than you first thought. Football people, you think you're tough and you're strong, but when you take that away from someone you lose a sense of purpose."
Player Sam Smith says the challenge has helped his physical and mental health, "Before it started I was doing a little bit of running but this pushed me to go a bit further. It's been alright, my legs have got through it I think, I'm usually the one on the physio bed, I'm usually the one who gets injured. I think I'm fitter now then when I was actually playing."Coming to play football you're here two of three times a week. It's a big chunk of our life taken away. Getting out and running it's definitely helped me."
The club's seen a lack of results in recent months but they're not desperate to reach their fundraising goal which would be their greatest victory this season.