City Councillors and Local Sport Stars Gear up for FIFA U-20

City Councillors and Local Sport Stars Gear up for FIFA U-20

City Councillors, Canterbury Kings cricketer Andrew Ellis, Former All-White Aaron Clapham, Mainland Football stars and official FIFA mascot 'Wooliam' enjoy a game of futsal at the official FIFA futsal pitch at Burnside High School.

City Councillors and local sports stars gearing up ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015

Christchurch City Councillors are gearing up and getting ready for the festival of football that is the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 by taking on a selection of Christchurch sports stars yesterday in five-a-side football match at the official FIFA futsal pitch at Burnside High School.

City Councillors, Canterbury Kings cricketer Andrew Ellis, Former All-White Aaron Clapham, Mainland Football stars and official FIFA mascot 'Wooliam' enjoy a game of futsal at the official FIFA futsal pitch at Burnside High School.

Speaking yesterday from the FIFA futsal pitch at Burnside High School, Councillor Yani Johanson the official Council representative for the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 said, "Having such a global sporting event here in Christchurch is an endorsement that Christchurch is making huge progress. This is one of the world's most-watched sporting events broadcast to over 200 countries and a global audience of up to 450 million."

As part of the FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015, Christchurch will play host to Group F teams Germany, Fiji, Uzbekistan, and Honduras. Christchurch will also host one additional fixture from Group E featuring Brazil and North Korea.

"I encourage the people of Christchurch to get online and buy their tickets fast as this is going to be an amazing spectacle of football. Football icons such as Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar have all come through the FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments. This will be a once-in-a life time chance for families to watch the next batch of global football stars.

"As we have seen here, football is such a fun inclusive game that can be enjoyed by all. We will warmly welcome the teams and visitors to our region and look forward to showcasing the city's recovery," says Councillor Johanson.

Twenty-four teams from around the world, including New Zealand, will compete for the FIFA U-20 World Cup trophy, with Christchurch hosting nine matches in total, including six group matches, one round of 16 match, two quarter finals and one semi-final.

ENDS

© Scoop Media