A one-off charity football game will take place at Bishop’s Cleeve on Saturday in support of Cleeve Colts player Mabel Murphy.

Nine-year-old Mabel has a severe form of arthritis and all money raised from the game will go towards helping to buy her a wheelchair.

The match, which will start at 11am on the 3G artificial pitch at Kayte Lane, will be between two teams made up entirely of Cleeve Colts coaches.

“Everyone who plays will pay £10,” explained Cleeve Colts chairman Paul Bignell. “Two squads of 15 will raise £300.”

Mabel will be at the game, of course, and her family, who are hugely grateful for all the support they have received, are hopeful that her condition becomes manageable going forward.

“She has been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis,” said her mum Keeley Murphy. “Initially it was just in her knee and we thought she’d just got a sore knee but then the pain spread.”

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA as it is widely known, is the most common type of arthritis in children and teens. It typically causes joint pain and inflammation in the hands, knees, ankles, elbows and wrists but it can affect other body parts too.

“The hope is that treatment will keep it at bay and that she can lead a normal life,” said Keeley. “At the moment she has good days and bad days, but on the bad days she is in a lot of pain and can hardly walk.

“The last few weeks have been very difficult for her. She went to the club’s end-of-season presentation in May but after that she went downhill quite fast.”

That end-of-season presentation was memorable for the Grangefield School pupil because she was voted Cleeve Colts Under-9s Belles’ most improved player.

“She’s a defender,” continued her mum. “It was the team’s first season and she’d done so well. She’ll go and watch them play this season because they are her team and she hopes to be rejoining them at some stage.”

One person who is really looking forward to Mabel playing again is her team-mate and best friend Arabella Harris.

Arabella is doing everything she can to support Mabel including making this heartfelt appeal on Facebook. She wrote:

“My name is Arabella, I am 9 years old from Bishop’s Cleeve. I’m fundraising for my best friend Mabel. The doctors think she might have a rare form of arthritis. I know she’s been in so much pain in her legs, feet and knees.

“We used to walk to school together everyday but now Mabel can’t walk, her mum has to drive her. I’d love to be able to buy Mabel her own wheelchair so she can walk to school again with me and her other friends. Also we would be able to push her around the playground and show her what’s going on.

“At the end of every school day she is in so much pain she is crying. I don’t like seeing my best friend cry.

“I know Mabel will get some treatment soon but the NHS wait lists are soooooooooo long. Her treatment will mean she can play football with me again and do street dancing, but having a wheelchair will help her on her bad days.

“Only a few months ago she won an award for Cleeve Belles and now she cannot walk.”

A raffle at Bishop’s Cleeve Football Club’s Women’s World Cup Day on Sunday also raised money for Mabel, who comes from a very sporting family. Older brothers George and Harry will both be playing for Cleeve Colts Under-15s this season.