AN ANNUAL tournament saw young people triumph over teams made up of police officers.

Such was the enthusiasm of the youngsters that they knocked out all of the teams made up of police officers before the semi-final of the tournament, held at Leigh Sports Village.

The competition, organised by Wigan Athletic Community Trust, saw 12 teams of young people from areas including Hag Fold, Shakerley, Westleigh, Hindley, Pemberton and Atherton involved in the Kicks project take on police officers from across the borough.

The overall winners came from the Kicks scheme at Hag Fold, who beat Leigh 6-1 in the final.

Community cohesion coordinator for the Trust Tom Drake said: “It was great to see another good turn-out for this year’s competition.

“Kicks has had a great impact in reducing the amount of anti-social behaviour in certain areas since it was introduced, and a lot of this is to do with creating links between the community and the police.

“The sessions provide a great opportunity for the police and local youngsters to meet and get to know one another in a constructive way.”

The Kicks project provides football and sports opportunities for young people aged 12 to 19.

For details about Kicks projects, contact Tom on 01942 488530 or email t.drake@wiganathleticct.com.