A charity football match is being held in memory of murdered County Durham toddler Maya Chappell, with money raised set to support families dealing with child loss.
Maya’s Football Match will take place at Consett AFC on Sunday, September 6, bringing together dads, uncles, grandads and other men willing to pull on their boots for the fundraiser.
Players are being told no previous football experience is needed, with organisers, Maya's great aunts, Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls, promising a light-hearted afternoon aimed at bringing families together while raising money for an important cause.
Those taking part will meet at 1.30pm before kick-off at 2pm.
Maya Chappell
(Image: FAMILY)
Each player is being asked to pay £10 towards the cost of hiring the venue, with any money left over donated to the children’s hospital at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.
Additional funds will provide much-needed memory boxes for families following the death of a child, as well as supporting the welfare of staff working with families in “unimaginable circumstances”.
The event has already attracted considerable interest, with anyone wanting to play being asked to contact the campaign page with their name and phone number.
Family, friends and other supporters are also being encouraged to attend, with entry costing £2 for adults while children can watch for free.
Youngsters will also be invited onto the pitch towards the end of the match, when the adult players may be grateful for some “new legs”.
The football match is the latest event connected to the family of two-year-old Maya, whose death in September 2022 sparked a major campaign for changes to child safeguarding.
Maya died after suffering fatal injuries at her home in Shotton Colliery.
Gemma Chappell (left) and Rachael Walls (right), the great aunts of Maya Chappell
(Image: FAMILY)
Michael Daymond, her mother’s partner, was jailed for life for her murder in December 2023, while Maya’s mother, Dana Carr, was sentenced to nine years in prison for allowing her daughter’s death.
Since Maya’s death, her great-aunts Gemma Chappell and Rachael Walls have campaigned alongside The Northern Echo for “Maya’s Law”.
The campaign calls for a Child Risk Disclosure Scheme which would make it easier for safeguarding information about adults who may pose a risk to children to be shared and acted upon.
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A petition calling for the change passed 100,000 signatures and led to a debate in Westminster, with MPs backing calls for stronger protections.
The family has welcomed new information-sharing measures introduced through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, but says these do not go far enough and continues to campaign for Maya’s Law to exist as a standalone policy.
Gemma has previously said the family “won’t stop” until those changes are in place.