Two community football clubs played a memorial match on Heritage Day in honour of 13-year-old Thurlow Cowan, who was recently shot and killed at an abandoned church in Uitsig.

Thurlow was a young footballer who had played for both Trinitarians Football Club and Uitzicht United.

Brandon Arendse, spokesperson for the event, says the clubs came together to honour his memory. “Although the clubs competed against each other, the match was about far more than the result. It was about bringing teammates, families, supporters and the wider community together to remember a young boy whose passing has left a tremendous void,” he says.

Worth sharing

Arendse says he believes this is a story worth sharing because it demonstrates the role that grassroots football can play in bringing communities together during difficult times and remembering young people who have made an impact on those around them. “Thurlow was a young boy with a love for football and the match brought together two clubs and a community to celebrate his life, his passion for the game and the memories he leaves behind,” he says.

Arendse says the clubs do not want to dwell on the circumstances surrounding Thurlow’s death. “That is a matter for the criminal justice system, and the legal process must be allowed to take its course,” he says.

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