soccer on the sands: Great Yarmouth’s Central Beach had a Copacabana feel over the weekend as Soccer on the Sands became the big attraction. More than 1,000 children took part in the eighth-running of the event, the matches in four beach arenas watched by scores of spectators on the promenade.

More than 120 teams took part with the players, ranging in age from under-sevens to under-13s, coming from as far afield as Derby as well as all over Norfolk and parts of Suffolk.

James Shelton, communications officer for Norfolk FA, which organises the tournament in partnership with Active Norfolk, said: “Each year the reputation of the event continues to grow and this time we have had interest expressed from teams in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire as well as the junior girls’ team attached to Derby County taking part.” Each team took the identity of a Champions League side and the arenas were given glamorous names.

Age group winners were: U9 Taverham (playing as Lyon), U10 Waveney B (Spurs), U11 Taverham (MSC Zilina), U11 Girls Norwich City Girls (MSC Zilina), U12 Rocklands Youth (MSC Zilina), U13 Rocklands Youth (Shakhtar Donestsk), U13 Girls Norwich City Girls (Panathinaikos). There were also games for U7 and U8 teams.