NEWS FEED
There will be plenty of sun, sea, sand and sport this summer when Poole plays host The British Beach Sports Festival 2016 for the very first time.
It is estimated that 5,000 VIPs, 20,000 spectators and a host of celebrities will come together for a celebration of the best of British beach sports over the August Bank Holiday Weekend.
The three-day event which will take place at the award-winning Blue Flag beach in Canford Cliffs, Poole, will be a showcase for a variety of ball sports ranging from beach soccer, rugby, volleyball, netball, and the official England Touch league.
Highlights of the three-day festival presented by Top Ten Sporting Ltd, include the national beach soccer championships and a celebrity all-star game of ex professional players competing against one another.
The national men’s and women’s beach soccer teams will provide a first class demonstration of the game and will be on hand to give novice entries more information, as well as taking part in a celebrity charity match in aid of The Youth Cancer Trust, a Dorset based local cancer charity.
Integrating all ages, genders and ability levels, The British Beach Sports Festival (BBSF) aims to bring 72 hours of exercise and education to create a vibrant legacy for beach sports in the area.
The all action weekend will culminate with The National Beach Soccer Championships on Monday where the UK’s best teams will be selected for the European championships.
Away from the pitches, there will be plenty to entertain the crowds including live bands and international DJs.
BBSF 2016 is part of a long term plan to develop a grass roots base for all beach sports with the ultimate aim of bringing the FIFA World Beach Soccer Championships to the UK for the very first time.
The launch event has the full support of the Mayor of Poole Cllr Xena Dion who said, “I am particularly excited by this event as it fits perfectly with one of my key themes in my mayoral year which is health and wellbeing. Physical activity and sports is so essential for our health and any event that helps get people moving gets my support.
“It’s hard to take up a new sport or start again after a long break, but this British Beach Sports event promises to make sports a great deal of fun, as well as help people get up, get involved and get moving again.
“Poole is incredibly fortunate to have this event right on our doorstep and I hope businesses and the community will get behind it, so we can encourage everyone to have a go – particularly people that don’t think they can. I invite people to ‘get out there with the Mayor’ as I will certainly be getting up and trying out some of the games over the Bank Holiday Weekend, and if I can do it, anyone can.
“Thank you to the British Beach Sports Festival (BBSF) team for bringing this to Poole and for making it happen. I wish you every success.”
The action packed three-day and evening festival takes place from Saturday 27 August to Monday 29 August 2016.
For more tickets and sponsorship information please visit www.britishbeachsportsfestival.co.uk or Facebook BritishBeachSportsFestival.
