The local football community will come together next month for a match to honour 15-year-old Luis Gabriel Guembes, who was fatally stabbed earlier this year.

The game will see two of the teams Luis played for face each other at Farnborough FC’s Cherrywood Road stadium on Tuesday, April 14 at 7pm

Churt Under 16s Vipers will take on a specially reformed Mytchett Athletic Under 16s Kestrels side. The Kestrels team, which disbanded last year, is being brought back together by Luis’s former coaches for the one-off match.

The game is being organised by the Luis Gabriel Memorial Fund, set up by friends and members of the local football community following his death on January 19.

Mark Degiovanni, chair of the fund, said the response from the community had been overwhelming.

“It’s been very difficult, very emotional for a lot of us,” said Mr Degiovanni, who coached Luis at the Kestrels. “The word ‘shock’ doesn’t really cover what it’s been like.

“We’re trying to do something for Luis and for his family, to let them know he’s still in our minds and our hearts.”

Mr Degiovanni said Farnborough FC had offered the use of their stadium for the match.

“Farnborough FC have been really good and let us use their stadium, and they wouldn’t normally let 16-year-olds run around on their ground,” he said.

Luis, a student at All Hallows Catholic School in Farnham, played for Mytchett Athletic Kestrels before joining Churt Vipers, where he was known as a talented striker.

“He could have scored three goals a game at pretty much any level he played,” Mr Degiovanni said.

“He was an excellent striker. He was very skilled on the ball and taking players on.

“He’d normally score about 30 goals a season for any team he was in. He just loved scoring. He just loved playing.”

But Mr Degiovanni said what stood out most about Luis was his attitude.

“I have players who argue when the referee makes decisions against them and players who lose their temper at themselves and the world, but Luis never did that,” he said.

“He just enjoyed playing the game and doing the best he could. He was just this happy person who brought joy to people’s lives.”

Mr Degiovanni said bringing the former Kestrels players back together had also helped them process their grief.

“The Kestrels group disbanded last season, so getting the boys together again, I kind of look at it as therapy for them,” he said.

“To be together, run around and process it all. These boys are in their GCSE year, so we’re trying to balance that with everything else.

“The worry is that they might hide it, and then it can resurface a year or two later.”

The memorial fund has been set up to honour Luis’s memory and support wider work to tackle knife crime.

Its aims include installing memorial benches at Luis’s school and football clubs, raising awareness of the impact of knife crime on families and communities, and supporting charities working in prevention and youth education.

Mr Degiovanni said the testimonial match was intended to bring people together.

“It’s not just about the football — it’s about the players, the community, doing something for everyone,” he said.

“That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re using it as a way to commemorate Luis’s life and help the community.”