TWENTY teams from Suffolk and Essex took part in the iCAN Football League sponsored by Wot's Up and organised by Suffolk FA on Saturday.

It was the first event of 2019 and third of the season, with teams competing in three divisions – Premiership, Championship & Non-League – at Inspire Suffolk in Ipswich.

The event was a huge success, with lots of people coming out to support the event and the standard of football on show an improvement since the last tournament.

It was the first event under the new sponsorship as the Wot's Up iCAN Football League, with new Instagram branded boards in use. 

It was also one of a series of events run by Suffolk FA and sponsored by Total Football as part of The FA ‘We Only Do Positive’ initiative which launched last Monday.

Suffolk FA Inclusive Football Development Officer Kirsty Smith said: “Saturday was the first event of 2019 and was probably the best one yet in terms of the quality of football being played.

“It’s great to see the players enjoying themselves and developing their game as each tournament passes. We had a huge turn out from parents, guardians and friends despite the cold weather conditions and without the support of all these people and volunteers tournaments like this really wouldn’t be possible.

“We are really excited about the new partnership with Wot's Up day centre and their commitment to sponsor the league. This investment will enable the league to be sustainable for the next three seasons and give the players something to look forward to and keep them motivated to play. 

“The sponsorship and branding also gives us the chance to try and attract new players and new teams and hopefully help the league to grow even bigger next season.

“Wot's Up have been there since day one with this league and they have seen the impact first-hand what football and leagues like this can do for disabled people both personally and as a sportsman.

“They are very passionate about helping others positively enjoy playing sport and the social experiences that they wouldn’t necessarily get in normal day to day life.

“So I just want to say a huge thank you to Mags for her continued support and the future looks very bright for this league within Suffolk.”