Jake Radev, 11, from Great Wakering, is aiming to make his mark in friendlies playing for the England U12s in Slovakia on Monday ahead of the 2026 Pee Wee Tournament taking place in Quebec, Canada.
The youngster, who plays as a netminder, is entirely self-funded and father Justin Pugh is looking to raise £10,000 for him to reach his dream.
Jake Radev (Image: Justin Pugh)
Justin added they are currently struggling to raise funds despite making efforts to secure funding for Jake, and have paid more than £2,000 to make his son’s participation a reality.
“We’re at a very difficult stage at the moment, if we don’t get any funding, Jake may have to quit.
“For the last six months, we have applied for every single piece of funding possible, the lottery, the Round Table, and no one will fund an individual. It’s crazy.
“Everything we do is self-funded and it’s getting really tricky.
“Jake was recently invited to breakfast by Bayo (Alaba), he said he will be raising the lack of funding for athletes like Jake at Parliament next week. How can we have an international athlete without a penny of funding or help?
Posing – Jake with Bayo Alaba (Image: Justin Pugh)
“Jake has many professional goals such as being the first British-born and trained player to play in the NHL but to represent Great Britain at the Olympics is high on his list. We really want to make this come true.”
As part of being selected for the England team, Jake rigorously trains twice a week in Peterborough, and has competed with other athletes across the county for his spot, travelling from Sheffield to the Olympic Park as part of the process.
The Pee Wee Tournament takes place at the 18,239-seat Videotron Centre and sees England U13s perform on one of the biggest stages for their age group against top countries such as the USA, Canada, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.
Justin added the world’s best pro scouts will be on hand at the competition to look for ice hockey’s next big star. He thanked Jake’s coach Andy Knight, Smith Hyundai in Peterborough. physio Nick Karaiskos and osteopath Mathew Oliver for their help.
You can find the fundraiser at gofundme.com/f/help-young-ice-hockey-netminder-fulfil-his-goal.