TEENAGERS have formed a football team with the goal of keeping their mates out of trouble.

The players, who are aged 15 to 20, live on Middlesbrough's Brambles Farm estate.

A disused five-a-side football pitch is being brought back into use for training and for a planned three games a week.

The squad's first match will be against a team of street wardens, at Thorntree Park, at noon on Sunday.

Concerns have been raised in recent weeks about anti-social behaviour on the estate and enforcement agencies have been working to identify those responsible.

Nathan Duffy, a 17-year-old member of the team, said: "It gives us something to do instead of hanging around on street corners. We're keeping active and bringing society together in our area. The younger kids and families watch us play and we're trying to get them involved too."

Team manager Barry Dennison said: "We want to get to know the street wardens and we want them to get to know us.

"We want to develop a relationship which will see residents and street wardens talking openly with each other and working together to resolve issues, or to put ideas into practice. The football match is the first step towards achieving this."

Pertemps employment group has supplied the team with kits and other equipment.

Former police inspector Graham Strange, partnership co-ordinator for the Safer Middlesbrough Partnership, said: "It is great to see so many young people and agencies contributing to the project. The opening match against the wardens is excellent for building relationships and I have no doubt that the young people will really enjoy it."

A number of agencies, have formed Stem (Stronger Together in East Middlesbrough), to work together to provide alternatives to youngsters that will steer them away from anti-social behaviour.

Martin Harvey, neighbourhood manager with the Stem project, said: "What is great about this piece of work is it shows what you can achieve when residents and services act together to achieve a common goal.

"With very little in the way of cost, we have brought a disused area back into community use and are helping to support young people help themselves."