Colchester United's first ever Premier League Kicks Festival proved to be a big success on Wednesday.
Teams from across the South East that participate in the Premier League Kicks project converged on Shrub End to participate in a football festival.
Brentford, Charlton, Dagenham & Redbridge, Fulham, Luton Town, MK Dons, Watford and West Ham all showed off their footballing skills in a competitive day's football on the astroturf at the U's community venue.
The teams also got the chance to meet charities Only Cowards Carry and Hope Not Hate during the course of the day, as well as participate in games of FIFA laid on by GAME Colchester.
U's first teamers Denny Johnstone, Sean Murray and Charley Edge were also on hand to answer questions and watch the games.
And, after the football was done, they were able to enjoy an Army assault course laid on by the Parachute Regiment, as team work was rewarded by a quick completion time.
"We were delighted with how the day went and we are grateful to the other teams for coming along, along with our other partners who helped create such a memorable day," U's Community Development Officer Tom Tayler said.
"The Kicks project has been one of our big successes of the past twelve months and it was great to be able to welcome the other teams to Shrub End.
"We hope that this may be the first of many such events and we look forward to introducing more people from Colchester to the Premier League Kicks project."
To find out more about Premier League Kicks, including our sessions in Colchester and Harwich, click HERE.