A PAIR of Blacon dads organised an eight hour Champions League-style tournament for about 140 children.

Martin Dean, of Canterbury Road, and Christopher George, of Blacon Point Road, set up the Canterbury Trust eight years ago to provide better play facilities for children in their area.

Their efforts have yielded goal posts with nets, grass painting equipment and a tarmac five-a-side area as well as a basketball court.

In the process the pair have gathered support from Swetenhams, the city council, and the Primary Care Trust as well businesses and youth groups.

Other parents and Blacon residents have been inspired enough to chip in some of their own money.

The result is a play area good enough to stage a mammoth tournament involving scores of nine-a-side teams from all over Blacon.

Martin, 47, said: 'When we started it was just a plain area of grass. I used to play football with jumpers for goal posts and that sort of thing.

'The work we've done and the goals and areas that are there now are treated with respect by the kids in the area. I mean, how many places in the country can you think of where football nets are left out every night?

'And it's all from the parents in the area, we've done it all ourselves.'

He said he was pleased the rain held off for last Monday's tournament and players were given hot dogs and burgers supplied by Lloyd Frozen Foods, of Sea-land Road.

Even more pleasingly for the 47-year-old dad was a 5-1 victory for his team of dads who took on the best of the children at the end of the tournament.

richard.down@cheshirenews.co.uk