The IW’s beach soccer season gets under way this weekend (2nd and 3rd June) with the Youth Championships at Appley.
The youngsters will kick off a jam-packed 17th season on the sand, with a massive 19 events taking place this year.
More events than ever before
The recent licence agreement between the IW Beach Soccer Association and IW Council means there will be more events than ever before, with a special focus on enhancing the youth and girls’/ladies’ sections of the sport.
This weekend, boys under seven and eight and girls under 14 will compete on Saturday, while boys under nine and ten and girls under 12 will take to the sand on Sunday.
UK Men’s and Women’s Beach Soccer Super Cups
On Saturday, 9th June, the senior teams will be in action when the UK Men’s and Women’s Beach Soccer Super Cups take place, hosting teams from across the country.
The tournament will be played in a World Cup format, with qualifying teams going head to head in a knock-out phase before a grand finale on the same day.
Other highlights during the season include the Girls’ Beach Sports Festival on July 21st and the senior men’s National Championship Finals on July 22nd.
There will also be a series of beach soccer skills camps during the school holidays for children in years 1 to 6.
Additional events are set to be announced in coming weeks.
FA coach and champion
IW Beach Soccer’s general manager, Luke Kerr, said:
“This summer, we are hosting more beach soccer events than ever before, thanks to the new beach licence we formed with the Isle of Wight Council. This will enable us to grow the sport, particularly the youth sections, where we’re aiming to hold more events for youngsters aged between six and 16. We will also be focusing on the development and growth of girls’ and ladies’ beach soccer over the next five years, an initiative which has also been supported by Ryde Town Council.
“Currently, we have nearly 800 members, 500 of which are children and more than 85% are boys. We want that figure to change, so we have an equal representation of girls and boys in beach sports.
“We have employed an FA coach, Jess Cutler, who will be our lead Girls’ Development Coach, and she will also be supported by England international and European champion Katie James, who will also work for Elite Soccer UK as a Beach Soccer Mentor. Having these two ladies as role models and leads will help us grow the girls’ game much quicker.”
Summer events
Please see a full list of current events, below.
| Sat 2nd Jun Youth Beach Soccer | [u7, u8 boys] (u14 girls) |
| Sun 3rd Jun Youth Beach Soccer | [u9, u10 boys] (u12 girls) |
| Sat 9th Jun UK Beach Soccer Super Cups | [Senior men and women] |
| Sat 30th Jun Youth Beach Soccer | [u11, u12 boys] (u10 girls) |
| Sun 1st Jul National Championships | [Senior Men] |
| Sun 15th Jul Youth Beach Soccer | [u13, 14, 15, 16 boys] |
| Sat 21st Jul Girls’ Beach Sports Festival | Girls’ Growth Event |
| Sun 22nd Jul National Championship Finals | [Senior men] |
| Tues 24th Jul Skills Camp Beach Soccer | [Year 1 to Year 6] |
Report by Lorraine White on behalf of the Isle of Wight Beach Soccer Association. Ed
Image: © Laura Holme
