The fifth annual Kick 4 Ur Heart Tournament transformed the Ballaz Liberty Park Academy grounds last weekend into a powerful convergence of athletic excellence and life-saving awareness, as young footballers competed while championing awareness about heart health.

Ballaz Academy Director Andre Virtue founded the tournament following two devastating personal losses: his father, Patrick Virtue, who died of a heart attack in 2011, and student-athlete Dominic James, who tragically collapsed and died during a Manning Cup match in 2016.

"Those experiences really hit home, and I wouldn't want another athlete to die during the game," Virtue reflected. "It made me realise that although we love the game, we need to bring awareness to the health risks we sometimes take for granted."