Vertu, partnering with the Birmingham City Foundation, will support the new Vertu Primary Schools Cup which will get underway in February.
The opening round will see teams split into groups of 16, with mixed and girls teams in action at the Wast Hills Training Centre (the training base for both the Birmingham City Women’s team and the Club’s Academy sides). Football stars such as Jude Bellingham, Jack Butland, Nathan Redmond, and Jordan James have come through Wast Hills.
Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Vertu, said: “The community element is key to our partnership with Birmingham City FC and we’re delighted to be working so closely with the Club on the new Vertu Primary Schools Cup.
“This is a fantastic initiative that will allow us to engage with people from all across Birmingham and the West Midlands, and will offer children the opportunity to benefit from access to the Club’s first rate facilities as part of the competition.”
The competition is open to teams playing at U11 level, with 64 teams competing in a mixed competition and 32 teams in a competition exclusively for girls teams.
Every child competing in the competition will be presented with a special Vertu-branded shirt to wear during games.
Finals Day will form part of Blues Fest, the Club’s annual end-of-season celebrations. The Vertu Primary Schools Cup fixtures will be the pre-cursor to a charity game featuring former players and celebrities.
Birmingham City CEO and vice-chair of the Foundation Jeremy Dale said: “The Club is growing exponentially with more eyes watching us than ever before, and we want to create memories for children by inviting them to play at our world class facilities.
“Vertu’s support allows us to reach more than a thousand youngsters with this project, and we cannot wait to see some stars emerge at the games.”
