A football team in Eltham has been celebrating after receiving a brand new football kit following its competition-winning success.

Eltham Palace FC, who play at Mottingham Sports Ground, won the competition organised by estate and letting agents Your Move.

The Your Club, Your Kit competition was open to grassroots teams of all ages and abilities, as well as school teams.

Winners Eltham Palace FC are a new team created by a group of friends who attended St Thomas More School together and decided to form their own team after playing for different local ones previously.

Their manager, Kevin Kane, is one of the players’ stepfathers.

The team have joined the Woolwich and Eltham Sunday Football Alliance (WESFA) and currently play in division eight – with aspirations to move further up as they gain more experience in playing together.

Eltham Palace’s new kit was presented to the team by Your Move’s branch manager Tara Bussoli, along with her colleague and ex Tottenham Hotspur player, Benedict Bowers.

Tara said: “We’re so pleased for this local team.

“We know that football, like all sports, has been affected by the pandemic so we hope the timing of this announcement marks a positive step forward for them as well as provides evidence of just how important the local community is to Your Move.

“We may not be footballers (although my colleague Benedict was) but, we do understand the importance of teamwork and in helping each other and, having met the team, clearly share their goals and those of the community in which we both belong.

“I look forward to watching their progress, and supporting them further, in the months ahead.”

There were 130 winners picked at random – with one in each of Your Move’s network branch areas.

Team manager Kevin added: “We were delighted to win the Your Move competition.

“Clearly, as a new team, our funds are stretched so we really value any support of this kind and seeing the team look so professional as they head out to play their first matches together is a real bonus.

2The team itself is already gaining a lot of interest, despite it being relatively young, with 24 players signed up and eager to play; although that makes my job all the more difficult when choosing who should get a game.

“I’m pleased we entered the competition and look forward to building even closer links with Tara and the Your Move team in the future.”

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