A NEW annual tournament is going to be hosted by Wendron United in May.

The Jolly’s Combination League club will be holding a nine-a-side competition on May 24 at their Underlane ground for any Under 14s teams.

Entry to the tournament costs £50 with a free hot meal included for every player.

Club’s chairman Peter Thorne said: “We have decided to put this tournament together as when we heard about the nine-a-side concept, we knew there would be a lot of interest in it.

“Already at the club we run other football tournaments annually, such as the Sharon Wood Memorial Tournament, and we are hoping to have three or four pitches available on the day for this new competition.

“For this year we are sticking to just Under 14s teams, but we do have an eye on making it bigger next year.”

Recently the Football Association introduced the format as a way of further developing young footballers.

Games take place on a pitch roughly the same size as a normal playing surface, although the dimensions are slightly smaller.

Goals are a different size compared to those used in 11-a-side matches with the distance between the crossbar and ground being a foot lower at 7ft.

For more information about the tournament, call Jonathan Stedman on 07583 334905 or 07584 031782.