Skipton Renews Support for Mini Soccer Festival

This year marks the ninth for the highly popular Guernsey Mini Soccer Festival aimed at children aged 10 and under. The festival is open to FA Charter Standard Clubs and academies or centres of excellence of professional clubs only. It started out in 2002 as a small local tournament with one visiting professional football club, Everton FC, who played against seven Guernsey clubs. It has grown each year since with the result that in 2009, twenty teams took part, including four from professional clubs' academies in the UK, Everton, Fulham, Portsmouth and Glasgow Rangers.

Skipton International has announced it will again be supporting the contest with financial sponsorship. Jim Coupe, Commercial Director of Skipton International said: "We are delighted to again be sponsoring the 2010 mini-soccer festival on Guernsey. This year will mark our 15th year in business on the Island, so we appreciate the huge effort the organisers of the Guernsey Mini Soccer Festival have put in over the last nine years. This festival enables youngsters to play against young professional footballers, providing them with excellent opportunities to improve their game, as well as raise awareness of local talent. Here at Skipton International, we are delighted to be able to support such an important community initiative. I am sure the event will be a great success, and will continue to be a regular fixture in Guernsey's sporting calendar."