Lava Cup coins in £3,000 for district charities as Falkirk says goodbye

The prestigious Lava Cup – which is a seven-a-side invitational for over-40s which takes place every year in Scotland – was once again a huge success this year, with proceeds set to see at least £3,000 split between Andy’s Man Club and Maggie’s Forth Valley.

Teams from across the world travelled to the district with the likes of local teams Falkirk FFIT T8s and Carron Huskies taking part.

Reviewing the event, lead organiser Marc Boal said: “It was a spectacular day. Everything went to plan. The feedback we have had from the teams who travelled from across Europe has been quite incredible – the hospitality that they’d received from those in the Falkirk area. We had 150-odd people staying in local hotels for three/four nights, using local businesses and putting money into the district. It is a unique thing – the tournament keeps getting bigger and bigger. The power of football is amazing and the benefits go way beyond the pitch. We have people who visited the likes of the Rosebank Distillery and the Kelpies and they are already planning trips to Scotland again with family. The community of Falkirk has embraced us too.

“The guys who take part really get so much out of it and the mental health benefits are amazing. The networking and friend-making part of it all is brilliant and other trips are already being planned between the teams. It isn’t just the Lava Cup, it is something wider.”

On fundraising, he added: “Our JustGiving page is open until Friday and we are so pleased to have hit the £3,000 mark again when you add everything up. The money raised is going to two great causes in Andy’s Man Club and Maggie’s Forth Valley. A big part of the day is putting something back into the community.”

Boal also thanked those who have helped make the tournament happen since it made the move locally. After two years at Falkirk, and one year at Newtown Park in Bo’ness, the 2026 edition will take place elsewhere.

“I have to thank Dougie McCallum and Iain Mitchell from the Falkirk FFIT T8s for the help with planning and organising the event,” Boal said. Any issues were sorted out straight away. We also got a lot of help from local companies, Elite Central Travel donated a mini-bus to help ferry players around and it is all of these wee extra things that people pick up on. Brian Flynn at Behind The Wall was a great help too.”

Lyngby Boldklub from Denmark won the Lava Cup on sudden death penalties against Pounds2Pitches Hamilton. The Ice Plate was won by Rangers Fit4Life. They beat Iceland’s Kottarar. The Wooden Spoon final was won by Carloway of the Isles of Lewis who beat Falkirk FFIT T8s.