Young footballers from Sherborne wore jersey with blue-and-yellow colours to show support for people in Ukraine suffering from the impact of Russia’s invasion.
Each player from Sherborne St John FC U9s Saints team wore a t-shirt with the Ukrainian flag and the message ‘STOP WAR’ for their home game against Andover Town.
The idea was the brainchild of their manager Mindaugas Kuodys, known as “Mindy” to friends and family.
He bought t-shirts and stayed up late with his son Mykolas painting the flags on the shirts and writing the slogans messages on the Saturday evening before the game.
READ MORE: Basingstoke residents rally round to help Ukraine
Mothers whose sons play in the team helped by buying the items, including the yellow and blue material for the flag, which was sown and made to measure by Mindy’s sister.
“On the morning of the match, I asked the boys to arrive early and we had a discussion about why we were doing it,” Mindy said.
“All the boys had their view, saying how they appreciate everything they have and where they live. It was a moment of true reflection.
“The boys were really happy with the shirts and have continued to wear them with pride since the game.”
The Sherborne team won 5-2 in an end-to-end game. But Mindy said the result felt "totally irrelevant" as the conflict in Ukraine was on everyone’s minds.
“Without the parents’ help, none of this would have been possible, so I’m very grateful to them,” said Mindy, 44, who grew up in Lithuania and has been living and working permanently in the UK since 2004.
His home country’s president declared a state of emergency on Thursday 24th February in response to the “large military forces massed in Russia and Belarus”.
Mindy said it was heart-breaking to see television images of Ukrainian families fleeing Vladimir Putin’s onslaught and saying goodbye to their families as they were split up by the conflict.
SEE ALSO: Hampshire woman sets up appeal to help young Ukrainian disability swimmers stuck in Turkey
The Sherborne boys have also launched an online fundraiser to raise money for Chernobyl Children's Lifeline, a UK-based charity which is working to raise funds for families still suffering from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and in the Ukraine conflict.
If you would like to contribute to the fundraiser, click here.
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