Special day in memory of Leeds Headingley AFC footballer who died from gambling related death

Headingley AFC is keeping alive the name of their former team mate and manager Lewis Keogh, who died in 2013, after he kept his gambling habit a secret from everyone who knew him, until he suddenly and shockingly took his own life at the age of 34.

Heartbreakingly, his suicide note included the words ‘addiction is cruel’. An inquest returned a verdict of death as a result of a gambling addiction.

The fourth Lewis Keogh Day is the club’s annual football and social event held in Lewis’s name and will see Leeds and Headingley teams will play against each other in an ‘all ages together’ charity tournament this Sunday, 20 October.

Callum Butcher, chairman of Headingley AFC, said: “The day is our annual celebration of everything the club holds special - its history, spirit, and the people who have made it what it is - and is fittingly named in honour of a player who embodied everything the club stands for.”

He said past and present players and their families come together to share a day of footballing, reminiscing and doing all they can to raise awareness of the devastating impact that gambling can have.

Now the club uses every opportunity possible, to raise awareness and help others who might be suffering from the addiction - which claims one life a day in Britain.

Callum added: “As the first football club to have a gambling awareness charity as our shirt sponsor, we are in a unique position to highlight the impact of gambling in society. The shirt is a real conversation-starter and if we can help to make a difference for one person and their family then, what better way to turn a tragic event into a positive change.

"Lewis’s memory lives on, not just on the day but in the spirit that runs through everything that our club does on and off the pitch. His loss will never be something we will fully come to terms with, yet in the bonds that we have developed with his family and Gambling with Lives, a real determination to save others the same heartache has emerged".

The family friendly event takes place this Sunday (20 October) from 9am, with tournament starting at 10.30am and will be held at The Citadel, the 3,900 capacity home of Farsley Celtic at Newlands, Farsley, LS28 5BE. There will be a barbecue, bouncy castles and a kids’ disco.

All cash raised goes towards Gambling with Lives. More details: www.gamblingwithlives.org