MORE than 300 young people aged between seven and 18 took part in a football tournament as part of an initiative to tackle social issues.

Now in its fifth year, the summer Kicks tournament was held in Brighton’s Preston Park.

It is run by Albion in the Community, the official charity of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, in partnership with American Express.

It brings together youngsters from Premier League Kicks projects across the region and visiting teams from further afield)1 to compete in a friendly and inclusive environment.

The tournament was supported by 18 Amex colleagues who helped organise the day and referee matches alongside AITC coaches.

Albion’s first team players, midfielder Pascal Gross and defender Leon Balogun, made a surprise appearance to chat to participants and present the winning cups, plates and runner up-medals across four age groups.

The winning teams were: U11 Cup – Brighton, U11 Plate – Brighton (Whitehawk), U14 Cup – Chelsea, U16 Cup– Hastings, U19 Cup - AFC Bournemouth.

During the day, mini-workshops were led by Kick It Out, an organisation that works throughout the football, educational and community sectors to challenge discrimination, encourage inclusive practices and campaign for positive change.

Martin Schooley, AITC’s Inclusion Manager said: “This is the fifth year we’ve brought together youngsters from all of our Kicks projects across Sussex.

“The tournament is all about giving youngsters the chance to play sport in a fun, safe and structured environment and promote the values of respect, teamwork and understanding.

“It’s great to see them interacting so positively with each other and the visiting teams, in an event on this scale.”