The 2017 Festival will be the 16th staging of an event which has become focal point of the junior inter insular football calendar. It is also the second year of the latest sponsorship agreement for the festival by headline sponsor, BWCI, having extended the agreement to sponsor the event for a further three years in 2016 Festival.

Festival Chairman, Martyn Banton, commented that;

‘We are delighted to have twenty one teams registered for the Festival this year and at this time I would also like to place on record the GFA’s gratitude to BWCI for this continued generous sponsorship and the 2017 Festival will be the 10th consecutive year that BWCI have been the Festival’s headline sponsor, which is not only a great commitment on their behalf, but also illustrates how the reputation of the Festival continues to grow. It is clear that this fantastic reputation of the BWCI Festival ensures that this event continues to not only be a highlight of the Guernsey sporting calendar but also attracts interest from outside of the Island, with the attendance of the Professional Academy teams highlighting the profile of the Festival. We are looking forward to again working with BWCI to deliver what we anticipate will be another fantastic football experience for hundreds of children and their families in July. The GFA recognises that this Festival is an important aspect of the football development of Guernsey’s young players ’

With entries for the Festival now confirmed as being 21, the 2017 Festival will continue in the same format as last year, which will involve two groups playing on a round-robin basis. The first group will have 11 teams and the second group will have 10 teams, with the top four from each group progressing to the Quarter-Finals of the BWCI Shield and the teams placed fifth to eighth progressing to the Plate quarter-finals.

The teams participating this year include five Professional UK Academy teams plus a further six teams from outside of Guernsey, including five teams from Jersey and the return of Braunton FC.

The full list of entries is:

Bodyline St Martins                        

Braunton FC                                      

Bristol City Academy 1                  

Bristol City Academy 2

Everton Academy 1                        

Grouville                                             

Guernsey FA Aztec Foundation Academy 1

Guernsey FA Aztec Foundation Academy 2

Guernsey Rangers                      

Guernsey Rovers

JTC Jersey Wanderers FC                            

Northerners AC                                               

Southampton Academy 1            

Southampton Academy 2                            

St Brelade

St Clement

St Martins                                          

St Pauls                                                               

UCF Sylvans                                       

Vale Recreation 1

Vale Recreation 2

For more updates about the 2017 BWCI Festival in the coming month, please visit the BWCI Festival website; www.guernseyminisoccer.com