YOUNG soccer players from as far afield as France and Italy will be coming to Spelthorne to take part in the first ever twin-town youth football tournament in March.

Spelthorne Borough Council's Executive has agreed to hand over a £5,000 grant to Spelthorne Sports Council, which is organising the event, on behalf of the Spelthorne/Melun Twinning Committee, to cover the cost of accommodation, entertainment, trophies and medals.

Three teams from Spelthorne will compete with rivals from their French twin town of Melun, and a team from the Melun twin town of Crema, in Italy, in a round-robin series of matches, which will take place on Saturday, March 1, from 9.30am, at the Meadhurst Sports Club in Sunbury.

The tournament is part of a move to foster improved links between the towns and it is hoped that in future years it could be staged in Melun, Crema or Stuttgart Vaihingen, Melun's German twin town.

The Sports Council is currently looking to raise sponsorship from local businesses to provide refreshments on the day and match balls. BP has already donated the use of the Meadhurst Club free of charge.

The council's Portfolio Holder for Youth Services, Cllr Denise Grant, said: "We hope this will be the first in a series of annual football tournaments for young people with our European partners.

"I am sure it will be fun, but very competitive on the day.

"We are very pleased to see these positive initiatives coming out of our twinning links."

The teams representing the borough will be the under-15s Staines Lammas, Ashford Town and Halliford Colts, playing as Spelthorne North, South and Central.

January 31, 2003 10:30