JUNIOR football is thriving locally if it is judged on the success of the huge numbers playing the sport in a Bolton, Bury and District Football League initiative.

League bosses believes the summer league is the biggest competition of its kind in the North West of England and they expect it to keep on growing in future years to be a permanent fixture in junior club's calendars.

The sport is being played on Saturday mornings at three venues – Moss Bank Park, New House Farm and also Harper Green – and hundreds of kids have been developing their skills.

Our photographer Gary Taylor was on hand to catch some of the budding Wayne Rooneys and Gary Cahills at Moss Bank Park as the competition is draws to a close in the next fortnight.

Gary Russell, secretary of the BBDFL, said: "When we started out we set ourselves a target of getting 50 teams down to play.

"But across the three venues there are 180 which probably means we have 1800 players staying active every Saturday morning which is better than sitting in their houses playing on X-boxes.

"It is about trying to give them opportunities to play in better weather and we think nicer pitches during the summer mean they can fully express themselves more rather than struggling with matches called off.

"The first thing we wanted to make sure was that it did not clash with other sports and give youngsters a chance to play."

Russell admits league officials are looking at their league calendar and that was the main reason for the change.

"When you look at the weather between December and January they are wasted months for football as they don't play for five or six weeks apart from the juniors at Bolton Arena and even then it is really cold.

"If you look at the national scene the Scottish FA are interested in moving to the summer but have shown it works after running the biggest event of this scale in the North West.

"We have had some feedback from the families and coaches saying what are the players going to do for football when it finishes on July 25.

"The success of the initiative gives us a facility to look at shutting down in December and move indoor to futsal and then resuming later in the new year and then have the summer football after that.

"If we can get the kids on better standards of pitches then their skills will all improve.

"We will be looking to make it better next year and has generated a lot of interest and we are thankful to Bolton Council for allowing us to use the pitches.

"One of the best things recently was that families were sitting with chairs on the sidelines and making a morning off it with a picnic.

"With so many kids playing all of the different families from teams were having a laugh and getting along."

Russell insists it would not have been possible without the help of the members.

He said: "Volunteers have given up their time each Saturday to ensure it runs smoothly.

"But you cannot forget to praise the managers and coaches for their commitment.

"If we can sort the calendar then the players will be able to have a break before the season starts.

"We are mindful that we don't to play 12 months a year but make sure they are doing it in the right conditions to help them reach the top as they have all the necessary skills whether that is playing local leagues or for bigger clubs.

"Managers and coaches are always looking at the pitches every couple of days during the winter to see if they are going to be called off but that would not be the case.

"The other thing is we have do it at a time that does not affect other sports in the area such as rounders, cricket and tennis which are played at this time of year.

"I also think we owe Kevin Davies a lot of thanks for supporting the project and also Warren Barlow for his hard work."

n If you want to find more about the Bolton Bury and District League visit www.bbdfl.org.