npower launches competition to find the football stars of tomorrow

npower is encouraging kids who fancy themselves as the next Rio Ferdinand, or Faye White, to pull on their boots and enter the Football League Kids Cup and Girls Cup.

Faye White, the women's England captain was joined by sports presenter and amateur player Ben Shephard at Football League ground Queens Park Rangers to call for entries.

Schools across the country have until 8th October to sign up for both cups by entering their local competition, in the hope of winning the chance to represent the club at the regional, and then later area and national phases of the competitions.

The best sides will then battle it out in front of thousands of fans before one of The Football League's showpiece finals.

At the launch Ben Shephard said: "For some of the kids taking part, the npower Football League Kids Cup or Girls Cup could be the touch of the ball that starts it all off.

"We could see a future Football League and national star take to the pitch in the Kids Cup - watch this space."

Faye White, who has been representing England since 1997, added: "Competitions like the npower Football League Kids Cup are an excellent opportunity to get kids together enjoying football and sharpening up their team skills.

"For female footballers the Girls Cup is a huge opportunity to play against, learn from and mix with likeminded sportswomen.

"Giving girls the chance to take to the pitch at Wembley Stadium is a real coup for the Girls Cup, I'll be looking forward to hearing how the finalists get on under the famous arch."

Clare McDougall, npower's head of education and community, said: "npower is really proud to provide opportunities for young people to get into football. Encouraging a bit of healthy competition amongst kids is great for building their self-confidence and who knows, we may even be nurturing a few future pro players too."

Greg Clarke, chairman of The Football League, said: "The npower Football League Kids Cup and Girls Cup are fantastic ways of encouraging schoolchildren to take part in competitive sport as well as offering them the chance of a lifetime to play in front of thousands of fans."

Schools wishing to enter the competition should contact their local Football League club. For details visit www.football-league.co.uk

About the npower Football League Kids Club
The npower Football League Kids Cup was formerly known as The Football League Community Cup. The finals of the U11 Cup will be played prior to the npower Football League Play-Off Finals. The U13 Girls Cup will be played prior to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final.

Each year more than 2,500 schools take part in the two competitions. Last season, Overton Grange School (representing Crystal Palace) lifted the U13 Girls Cup, whilst Folville Junior School (representing Leicester City) lifted the U11's cup in the Championship section, Gateway School (representing Wycombe Wanderers) lifted the cup in the League 1 section and Mudeford Junior School (representing AFC Bournemouth) lifted the cup in the League 2 section.

The road to the Finals starts in September with each Football League club organising a competition for all local schools wishing to take part.

About npower
npower is one of the UK's largest electricity suppliers and has 6.6 million customer accounts across the UK. npower has been awarded platinum status in Business in the Community's CR Index and is one of twenty-nine companies to have achieved the CommunityMark since its launch. All CommunityMark achievers have been recognised for demonstrating excellence in their holistic and strategic approach to community investment.

For further information, to attend the photocall or to request an interview, please contact the npower press office at Frank:

Lisa Rebak
Frank PR
3rd Floor
Centro 4
20-23 Mandela Street
London
NW1 0DU
0207 693 6999
www.npower.com