of Mini Soccer Festival
The Guernsey Football Association is delighted to announce that it has signed a new three year deal with The BWCI Group to headline the sponsorship of its annual mini soccer festival.
Local Channel Islands group BWCI first sponsored the hugely popular summer festival in 2007 and, having supported the summer event on a year to year basis for the last three years, has now committed a further five figure sum to it over the next three years.
The BWCI Guernsey Mini Soccer Festival 2010 will take place over the weekend of Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July at Footes Lane and the Memorial Field and this will be the ninth year that the GFA has organised this minis bonanza, which is now well established as a highlight of the local Channel Islands youth sporting calendar.
News of the tournament, which is open to under 10 minis teams from FA Charter Standard clubs in the Channel Islands and UK, plus under 9 academy teams from English and Scottish Premier League professional clubs, continues to spread. As Chairman of the Festival’s Organising Committee Steve Dewsnip, said: “Each year the event seems to get bigger and better and 2010 will be no exception. Already, we have received interest from not only the 20 teams that took part last year, but also from several additional clubs in the UK and, for the first time, from France and Germany too. We expect last year’s winners Fulham and runners-up Everton to be joining us again this year, plus a few more professional clubs too. With the great support we receive from BWCI and the other members of our sponsorship consortium, which enables us to bring the professional academy teams over, we are looking forward once again to another fantastic weekend of mini soccer.”
Diana Simon, BWCI Partner, added: “Although we continue to live through difficult economic times, The BWCI Group is well aware how much this event means to the local community and how much enjoyment the children get from playing against the academy teams and other visiting teams they would not otherwise play against. For these reasons, we are very pleased to be able to renew our sponsorship for a further three years and wish the GFA the very best of luck in continuing to organise such a superb and popular event.”
GFA Chairman Mark Le Tissier, is also very grateful to The BWCI Group for its continuing sponsorship. He said: “These are exciting times for local football with many positive initiatives underway. With this continued and generous sponsorship from BWCI together with the support we are fortunate to receive from other local businesses, the mini soccer festival will continue to play a key role in adding to the development of our local footballers, which we appreciate very much.”