A Polish footballer that played in a youth tournament at what was the Eurosports Village, on the former HMS Ganges site, is appealing for help in finding the main organiser Peter Reeve and more memorabilia from the 1986 event.

Robert Petka, from Lesko in Poland, wrote to Nub News with the plea following up on a social media post.

He recalls making a Mars Bar last for days, taking a much-prized can of Coca Cola back home, and the £6 asking price for a Paul Cooper shirt 'madness', as his father earned just £19 a month in communist Poland.

Robert Petka in front of Ganges mast during tournamnet at Eurosports Village in 1986 (Picture contributed)

Known as the Ipswich Tournament, which was held for six years at the sports village in Shotley Gate, teams included Ipswich Town, and Young Lions, Sliema Wanderers from Malta, Italian club Lugo FC and Scotland Ipswich Two Boys Cub.

Among the 16-year-olds playing for Ipswich were Chris Kiwomya and David Gregory, who both went on to enjoy professional careers at Portman Road.

Also in the side, was super-model Danny Mayhew, who became the face of Giorgio Armani and goalkeeper Simon Pithman.

Poland was a communists country at the time, before the Berlin Wall came down, under the strictest of regimes, so it was quite a coup to be able to welcome the young Poles.

Mr Petka said: "The fact that we could play several matches against our U-16 peers from England made us the happiest boys in the world at that time. We secured the third place behind Ipswich Town FC and Young Lions, and the memories we carry in our hearts remain alive to this day, despite the passage of many years."

He added: "Participating in this tournament in England taught me one thing: "There are no impossible things; there are only things we give up on too quickly.

"Adhering to this principle, I promised myself that I would continue seeking all available materials on this topic, and I beseech for your assistance."

If you can help in any way please get in touch with Robert at +48 601 624 484 [email protected]

*Eurosports Village was owned by the Potton Company and opened in 1980 until it closed at the end of 1986. HMS Ganges closed as a Royal Navy training establishment in 1976, after moving ashore in 1905. Today the former Ganges site is being marketed as Barrelman's Point with development of 285 homes being built by Wavensmere Homes and Galliard Homes well underway

Full letter from Robert Petka

Why did Ipswich Town and "The Sixth International Youth Tournament of Ipswich Town Football Club" held in 1986 at EUROSPORTS VILLAGE in Shotley engrave a mark in our hearts and change our lives?

A story that unfolded in reality and, after nearly 40 years, once again intertwined the fates of its heroes.

My name is Robert Petka, and I reside in Poland. 37 years ago, from March 28th to 31st, 1986, as a 16-year-old boy, along with a group of my friends, I represented Poland, participating in the Easter Football Tournament organized by Ipswich Town FC - "The Sixth International Youth Tournament of Ipswich Town Football Club." It was an immense experience for us, as at that time, we were living in a socialist state, and any trip abroad was nearly impossible. The "Iron Curtain" was exceedingly tight, creating a hermetic isolation from the outside world. Although it's hard to believe, when the school principal informed me that I had been selected for the representative team that was going to fly to England for the Easter tournament, that news was comparable to someone today telling me I was going on a space mission to Mars. And that's not an exaggeration. My parents had to sign a statement that I wouldn't escape and wouldn't stay in England. A rather somber individual from the communist security service flew with us to England, keeping a vigilant eye on us to ensure we didn't communicate with boys from other teams and weren't subjected to capitalist indoctrination. Our jerseys were of very poor quality, but under no circumstances were we allowed to exchange jerseys with players from opposing teams, even if they offered after each match. They were playing in Adidas jerseys, which were beyond our wildest dreams at that time. My father, who was a chief accountant, was earning 19 pounds per month in Poland back then. When he miraculously obtained a 10-pound banknote and gave it to me for the journey, I rationed myself by consuming a Mars bar over several days and brought a can of Coca-Cola back home as a treasure. While touring the Ipswich Town stadium, the changing rooms, and the club shop, I wanted to buy a souvenir shirt of Paula Cooper, but I decided that spending the 6 pounds it cost then would be sheer madness.

Being in the cradle of football that undoubtedly is Great Britain further intensified our emotions. The fact that we could play several matches against our U-16 peers from England - Ipswich Town and Young Lions, Malta - Sliema Wanderers, Italy - Lugo FC, Scotland - Ipswich Town BC, made us the happiest boys in the world at that time. We secured the third place behind Ipswich Town FC and Young Lions, and the memories we carry in our hearts remain alive to this day, despite the passage of many years.

Unfortunately, our wonderful memories from those days and a single commemorative photo of our team, given to us by the organizers, are the only mementos from that tournament. Despite our efforts over many years to find any materials from those days (online information, press clippings, documents, photographs, or individuals who were in any way involved in the tournament - players, sports officials, club employees, volunteers), our attempts have yielded very limited results so far. From the dedication written on the photo, it is evident that our very kind guardian, who looked after us with fatherly care and immense kindness during our stay in England, was the ever-smiling Mr. Peter Reeve. One of the referees of this tournament was the exceptionally professional, yet at the same time, very warm Mr. Barry Collings.

The tournament was quite large and played across various youth age categories. We were accommodated in Colchester at the Marks Tey Hotel, sharing lodgings with the USA Under-18 team. Matches were played simultaneously on a large complex of adjoining football pitches, with each match lasting 2x25 minutes.

When almost 20 years after that tournament, during a few days spent with acquaintances in London, I visited Ipswich in December 2005. Once again, I explored your beautiful city and attended a highly charged and Ipswich Town FC-drawn 2-2 match against QPR. However, despite my determined efforts, I still couldn't obtain any information about the 1986 tournament at that time.

A few days ago, I tried once again. I posted our story in the Bobby Robson's Ipswich Years 1969-1982 group. To my great astonishment, the post was published. And my surprise, amazement, and tremendous joy grew even more when, just a few hours after the post was published, Simon Pitham, who was the goalkeeper for Ipswich Town FC's youth team back then, shared a photo of the team from that tournament and the stories of certain players. It turned out that we played against, among others, Chris Kiwomya and David Gregory, who shortly afterward had splendid careers in British football, as well as Danny Mayhew, who later became a global modeling sensation and the face of Giorgio Armani. Barry Collings, who was a co-organizer of the tournament and a match referee, also wrote to me.

Many warm and friendly individuals also wrote to me.

Robert Petka

Poland +48 601 624 484