Top UK Freestyle Footballers to compete for the UK & Ireland title in Edinburgh
Over 50 freestylers (both male and female) from all over the UK and Ireland will be heading to Scotland to compete at the UK & Ireland Freestyle Football Championship 2016 taking place on 2nd – 3rd July at The University of Edinburgh Sports complex, Peffermill. The championship tournament will be the highlight of this year’s inaugural Grassroots International Youth Football Festival 2016.
Freestylers due to attend include four time World Champion and 5 time UK & Ireland Champion, Andrew Henderson, who will be defending his title. The judges include internationally renowned Freestylers, Luca Chiarvesio (Italy), Sven Fielitz (Luxembourg) and Mateusz Odrzygóźdź (aka Lotar from Poland).
Participants in the UK & Ireland Freestyle Football Championship 2016 will all earn 1-star world ranking point for competing, which will count towards their overall world ranking position at the end of the year. The winner of this championship has the best possible chance of qualifying for the Freestyle Football World Championship Tour 2017.
In round one all Freestylers will be given 1 minute each to demonstrate every aspect of freestyle and impress the judges. The judges then rank them all based on perfection, style and difficulty of moves being performed. The top scorers from round one will go on to compete in the round two battles, which last for 3 minutes each. Possession of the ball on the stage transfers every 30 seconds between 2 participants, giving them each 3 rounds of 30 seconds to out-perform their opponent and progress to the next round.
Dan Wood, Founder of Freestyle Football Federation, says: “The UK & Ireland Freestyle Football Championship is a great opportunity for new Freestylers to compete and get their name on the map, plus for existing professionals to brush up on their skills and check out new talent. Winning the UK & Ireland Championship also offers the best chance to secure a place in next year’s World Championship Tour!”
The inaugural Grassroots International Youth Football Festival 2016 is a two day sporting and cultural event, celebrating and supporting the finest grassroots youth footballers from the UK, Europe and beyond.
The UK & Ireland Freestyle Football Championship 2016 is the highlight of the event with 3 additional competitions running alongside; 11-a-side International pro youth invitational cup, 64 team 11-a-side tournament from U13s-U17 and 40 team 7-a-side tournament from 2004-2005 age category.
Brian McNally, Co-Founder of Youth Football Scotland adds: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the host venue for the official 2016 UK & Ireland Freestyle Championships. Our team attended last year’s event and were blown away with the spectacle! We knew we had to bring it to Edinburgh this year. In partnering with Freestyle Football Federation, we are confident the Championships will raise the profile of our festival and increase participation and support for the freestyle community in Scotland.”
More information on the upcoming event can be found on the Federation’s website
