A Workington junior football club has been invited to take part in a tournament hosted by La Liga giants Barcelona.

The Spanish club has invited Workington Reds Juniors to travel to the Spanish city next year for the eighth annual Barcelona Premier Cup.

Chairman Simon Collins was stunned to find an email from last season’s La Liga title winners sitting in his inbox asking if the club would like to enter the tournament for teams from under-sevens to under-13s.

The international competition will take place from March 23 to 27 next year.

Participating players and coaches will be able to visit the city of Barcelona and tour the Camp Nou stadium locker room, press room, chapel, playground and benches as well as the club’s museum.

Mr Collins said it was unlikely that any of the Workington Reds Juniors teams will take part in the competition because of the costs involved, but added that it was up to the individual teams and players’ parents to decide if they want to fund-raise to go to the event.

“It come a bit out of the blue,” Mr Collins said. “It was just a random email from Barcelona.

“I doubt any teams will go but it’s nice to be asked.”

Meanwhile, the club raised £1,600 from a two-day bag packing event at Workington’s Asda supermarket recently.

The money will go towards new equipment for the club’s various teams. However, the club have also donated £50 to Asda’s Tickled Pink charity campaign.

  • We have been asked to point out that Barcelona Football Club is not hosting a junior football tournament in Barcelona in March next year but is supporting the competition run by separate organisers.

Barcelona did not invite Workington Reds Juniors to the tournament, as reported in last week’s Times & Star, based on incorrect information given to us.