The Freestyle Football Federation (F3) has chosen the Soccerex Football Festival in Manchester as the host of the 2015 UK & Irish Freestyle Football Championships, taking place over the weekend of 5-6 September.
Attracting the very best male and female athletes from across the UK and Ireland, including 3x World Champion and 5x UK Champion Andrew Henderson and 16 year old freestyle sensation Liv Cooke from Preston, the competitors will be competing head-to-head to try and be crowned the most skilful trickster in the UK & Ireland. Along with the freestyle battles there will be local entertainment and a live DJ to ensure non-stop action and skills on show.
After featuring in adverts with Ronaldinho at the start of the millennium, Freestyle Football has emerged into one of the world’s most popular sports with estimated 400million regular participants. The growth can be largely attributed to the rise of social media with millions of clips being uploaded to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, which has seen the likes of Sean Garnier, STR Skill School and SkillTwins become internet sensations.
Dan Wood, President of F3 had this to say about the announcement:
“Manchester is one of the world’s most passionate and creative cities whose history and culture is embedded in football, music and entertainment, so it was a natural fit to host the championships. The Soccerex Football Festival is a great example of those three elements coming together and we’re set for an amazing two days of freestyle, fun and jaw dropping action.”
Football Festival Manager Nick Hudson commented:
“Securing the Festival as hosts of the UK & Irish Freestyle Football Championships is a big coo for us and firmly positions the event as a hub for Freestyle Football. Some of the World’s best freestylers will be joining us in Manchester, for the two days of showing off some unbelievable tricks and skills, something everyone in Manchester needs to witness.”
The Festival, currently in its second year in Manchester, is growing in size and will be spread across three distinct areas, covering 1,600+ sqm. Free to attend, visitors will be treated to a 3 on 3 legends tournament, featuring the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Louis Saha, Panna Cages, freestyle tutorials, football activities such as Zorb football and digital gaming.
As world governing body for the sport of freestyle football, F3 own the World Freestyle Football Championships and have created a support structure that allows anyone to pick up a ball and not only enjoy the sport, but also develop their own pathway to becoming a professional. Events and activities are organised all over the world within the F3 network.
The Soccerex Football Festival has previously been held on the Jumeirah beach in Dubai, Nelson Mandela Square in Johannesburg and Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
For further information about this event please call +44 (0)208 987 5522 or visit www.soccerexff.com.
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About Soccerex
Established in 1995, Soccerex is the leading provider of business events for the global football community. Bringing together key industry decision makers from the world of football, Soccerex provides a unique commercial environment where delegates can benefit from exclusive business opportunities, networking and bespoke educational content.
Since its launch 20 years ago, Soccerex has hosted over 39 events across five continents. The Soccerex portfolio includes an annual Global Convention complimented by regionalised Forums.
About the Football Festival
For the past 10 years the Soccerex Football Festival has introduced global super stars, sublime skills and unique entertainment to thousands of football fans around the world.
Whether it’s Eric Cantona delivering a coaching session on Jumeirah beach under the Burj Al Arab, taking over Nelson Mandela Square for a DISKI themed party or Lucas Moura showcasing his Samba flare on Copacabana Beach, there isn’t a Football Festival like it anywhere in the world.
Now hosted in Manchester on 5-6th September, we’re bringing all of these experiences and combining them with Manchester’s youthful passion and die-hard footballing philosophy to create the UK’s Largest Urban Football Festival.
For full information about Soccerex and future Soccerex events please visit http://www.soccerex.com // call +44 (0)20 8987 5522 // email enquiry@soccerex.com