PENARTH, Dinas and Sully schools are invited to get involved with Cardiff City FC's community annual football tournament.

Sponsored by New Directions Eduction, the event will take place over three days in January 2016 at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium.

It will be an opportunity for 96 teams to play against each other for the title of mixed under-11s champions.

Speaking about the launch of the competition - which featured a young Gareth Bale when he was a school boy - Kelly Storer, regional manager for New Directions, South Wales, said: "This tournament really ‘kicks off’ the year for our team and the schools across South Wales. It’s a way to get your children re-energised and ready for the term ahead. The sign up rate for this competition is always very high, so I would encourage any school thinking about getting involved to book quickly to avoid disappointment."

Teams have until December 11 to get a team entered, and fixtures will be announced on the New Directions website on December 14.

At last year’s tournament, Gary Williams, director of business development for New Directions said of the event: "One of you sat here today could be the future of the Welsh team. "In the 16 years this competition has been running we have seen players such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and David Cotterill grace this pitch, as well as Sam Warburton who was at that time yet to choose the type of ball he would make his success from. This was a wonderful final to watch and had the whole crowd gripped with every piece of play. We look forward to welcoming you all back next year."

To get your school involved in the competition visit new-directions.co.uk/education/football-tournament/