Two thousand supporters poured into Chigwell Construction Stadium on Saturday to raise funds for DT38 in memory of late West Ham United Academy player Dylan Tombides.
On a warm May afternoon, teams made up of Dagenham & Redbridge FC and West Ham United FC icons laced up their boots once again to support DT38, the charity set-up after Dylan passed away from testicular cancer in 2014, aged just 20.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Australian-born forward’s death and the match is one of the series of events taking place for DT38 in both England and Australia in 2024.
The fundraising fixture, organised by Ian Morgan of E13 Events, is expected to have brought in more than £20,000 for DT38, which will be used to support its work raising awareness of testicular cancer and encouraging males to check themselves once a month.
The ground was awash with Hammers heroes, including Boys of ’86 Tony Cottee, Tony Gale, Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart and Geoff Pike, who worked as hosts.
On the pitch, former Academy boss Tony Carr managed a squad that included Dean Ashton, James Collins, Matt Jarvis, Anton Ferdinand, Jimmy Walker, Marlon Harewood and superstar influencer and Hammers fan Behzinga (aka. Ethan Payne) of The Sidemen.
They went toe-to-toe with a host of Daggers legends, some of whom featured in the golden period of 2008-11, when the Club won promotion to League One.
Even mascots Digger the Dog and Hammerhead made an appearance to entertain young and old.
On the pitch, former Hammers midfielder Martin Allen served as referee and the legends served up a glorious goal-fest as the Daggers landed a 7-6 victory.
Goalscorers included Ashton, Harewood, Zavon Hines, Lee Hodges and Dagenham favourites Jamie Cureton and Darren Currie, amongst others.
On the 38th minute the game stood still as the crowd, players and officials observed an emotional minute’s applause for Dylan, who made his first team debut for the Hammers in 2012 under then boss Sam Allardyce. His No38 shirt was later retired by the Club.
Tracy Tombides, mother of Dylan and co-founder of DT38, said: “Today will live long in the memory.
“I’m so incredibly proud that so many people have come along today to remember my son Dylan and to pay tribute to him, as a young man and a football player.
“Thank you to both clubs and to the players, fans, helpers, sponsors and to everyone who has made this happen.
“In particular, I would like to say thanks to Ian Morgan of E13 Events as the main organiser and to the Legends Match Committee, I’m so grateful for everything you have done to make this day so special and so successful.
“The funds raised from today will all be used to educate and raise awareness of testicular cancer and to remind people to check their tackle every month to help save men and boy’s lives.”
Former Hammers goalkeeper Jimmy Walker said: “It was a fantastic day first and foremost, the crowds came out in numbers, the lads gave up their time and we all know what a great cause it is for Dylan and DT38.
“Tracy, Dylan’s Mum, does some fantastic work. She was even giving us a talk in the changing rooms before the game, reminding us that it’s so important to check ourselves.
“On the pitch, it wasn’t so good for me, I got chipped a couple of times and that’s me retired, again! But joking aside, it’s been a fantastic day and to see everyone turn out for it is so well deserved and it’s been great to be involved with it.”
In 2020 DT38 launched the Check-1-Two Campaign to urge men to get serious about checking their testicles once a month and in 2023 they released their free E-Calendar which automatically sends a reminder alert to subscribers’ mobile devices on the first of every month.
To find out more about DT38, to sign up to the free E-Calendar, or to make a donation, visit dt38.org now!
