JOMA 2010 SOUTH WEST CHALLENGE TROPHY.
TOURNAMENT DATES ANNOUNCED.
ORGANISERS CONFIRM BUILDING BLOCKS FIRMLY IN PLACE.

Following the initial announcement of JOMA SPORTS as the 2010 Tournament Sponsors, the Organising Executive have now formally confirmed that the Tournament will be staged in NORTH DEVON between MONDAY12th JULY – SUNDAY 18TH JULY 2010.

Tournament Secretary HEATHER SCHOFIELD announced that negotiations have been completed with both JOMA SPORT and the BREND HOTEL GROUP for the 2010 Competition to proceed in line with a structured timetable, which will culminate in a TWELVE TEAM Tournament taking place.
Early indications are that out of a total of 12 Competition Teams, BARNSTAPLE TOWN, BIDEFORD AFC and ILFRACOMBE TOWN will represent North Devon; the remaining 9 teams will be drawn in descending order from the Championship League through Leagues 1 and 2 together with sides from the BLUE SQUARE Leagues and ZAMERETTO Premier Divisions. At least 1 team will represent the International/European wild card entry. The teams will compete for the newly commissioned JOMA 2010 Trophy.

The third year of Competition will see a revised format of Team Seeding, Competition Rules and order of play; the overall intention is to ensure that all teams once again play equally across the best available training and match-play venues that can be secured for the Tournament. The selected Tournament dates are designed to build on the window of opportunity presented by the completion of the WORLD CUP fixture list and the commencement of the UK League and non-League domestic programmes.

At this early stage, Organisers are considering the options of Match Venues, Training facilities and the full programme of transporting and accommodating in the order of 200 Tournament players and management/support staff.

Tournament invitations are scheduled to be issued by the end of February and all entrants have until 31st MARCH to confirm their participation; as with last year it is anticipated that the number of Clubs formally entering will exceed the number of slots available.
The 2010 JOMA SPORT South West Challenge Cup Draw will take place on Saturday 10th APRIL; details of the venue and format will be announced later.

HEATHER SCHOFIELD commented:
Our 3rd year of Competition will see us drawing strongly on the experience of the last two years’; however the core issues remain the same. Good teams, good hotels, good training grounds, good competition venues and good weather!! We have listened to the advice from last years’ teams and the only issue we really face is the preparation of the training pitches. I am confident that we now have that issue resolved. What we will focus on strongly, is the need for public safety, good stewarding and a genuinely warm welcome to all the visiting fans wherever they come from.