Football: Two-day Summer Football Festival nets $3k

Rotorua City's Andries Molijan wins the ball during the Summer Football Festival 2014 at Neil Hunt Park. Photo/Stephen Parker

Rotorua's Summer Football Festival 2014 has raised thousands of dollars for Special Olympics Rotorua.

The annual seven-a-side football festival was held at Neil Hunt Park at the weekend with 11 teams competing, up from nine last year.

The event, now in its second year, featured a good mix of social and competitive players including a number of Rotorua United and Ngongotaha AFC representatives.

The two-day tournament was won by Al Queda who defeated Razzle Dazzle 1-0 in the cup final yesterday afternoon.

The festival raised more than $3000 at the weekend.

Co-organiser Daniel Gibbs, who started the event last year with fiancee Jessica Barrett, said it was all about raising money for a good cause.

"[We wanted] to raise money to get the Rotorua Special Olympics to the summer games last year," he said.

"We thought it was a good event which could raise a reasonable amount of money over two days."

Gibbs said the goal was to keep the festival going annually to help raise a good chunk of money for the Special Olympics Rotorua team, who travel to the New Zealand Special Olympics every four years.

Gibbs brother, Matthew Gibbs, won a gold medal at the games in Dunedin last year, in tenpin bowling.

Gibbs said a large number of local businesses jumped on board donating spot prizes this year. He also said the Rotorua District Council donated the fields free of charge.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay was on hand to open the festival on Saturday morning.

Summer Football Festival 2014 results:

Cup winner Al Queda, runner-up Razzle Dazzle.

Plate winner Those Guys, runner-up Lakes FC.

Social winner City Revivers, runner-up Umm?.

Golden boot winner George Watson.