Go-ahead for Cringleford Cup expansion

A major expansion of the Cringleford Cup is on the cards following the outstanding success of last month’s inaugural tournament.

ENTENTE CORDIALE: Chris Good, front, meeting members of the Rouen squad.

Lead organiser Chris Good, of host club Cringleford Junior FC, has confirmed that the competition will go ahead next year – with even more youth teams vying for honours in the international five-a-side extravaganza at Easton College.

“The main reason for expansion was due to such positive feedback and additional demand,” he explained.

“A lot of the current U13 teams want to come back next year, so we have created an U14 age group. And we had turned away a number of U7 teams this year.

“Plus, with the learning from this year, we are confident we can apply that learning and make the tournament even more enjoyable for the players and spectators next year.

“The focus remains on simply enabling the players to play, with maximum game time, minimal waiting around and varied teams to play against from across the country and globe.

“The changes include additional game time on the Saturday (now 80 mins instead of 72 mins) and additional non-football activities such as inflatable fun.

“We’ll still be raising money for charity too (£1000 raised for Offside Trust and Amber’s Army this year), with 2025 charities to be confirmed nearer the time.

“We are also expecting more international teams, and Koblenz (Germany) are already in the process of working through Brexit logistical challenges to make an appearance.“ The tournament for next year has been confirmed for August 2 and 3 at Easton College.

There will be eight age groups (U7 to U14) for over 1000 players with 4000 spectators expected over the weekend.

Visit www.cringlefordjfc.co.uk