ENTRIES are being invited for a successful football tournament which has mirrored the rise of female football in recent years.

Organisers of the fifth annual Durham Constabulary and Durham FA girls' seven-a-side competition expect the usual deluge of applications to take part in the event, being staged over the weekend of July 2 and 3.

The sports field at force headquarters, at Aykley Heads, Durham, provides the venue for a tournament which last year involved more than 60 teams and upwards of 400 players in age groups from under-10s, under-12s, under-14s to under-16s.

One of the organisers, PC Ian Kirkup, said the event has taken off, in recent years, a far cry from the inaugural competition in 2000, when a mere eight teams took part.

But the recent surge of interest in girls' football, reflected in the hit film Bend It Like Beckham, has seen a surge in numbers.

The Durham Police/FA tournament has earned sponsorship for the first time this year from the newly-launched sports shop, Miss Kicks, which opened in Front Street, Chester-le-Street, on Monday, specialising in football kit for girls.

PC Kirkup said: "The tournament has grown massively in just a few years. We now have teams competing in the older categories, comprising girls who started in the younger age groups.

"We would like as many youngsters to get involved as possible."

Application forms for the tournament will be available shortly on the local FA website, www.durhamfa.com Players seeking a club can contact PC Kirkup on 0845-606 0365.