The Lord Mayor of York will kick off an inaugural football tournament linking the city with its twin town of Munster, this week.

The tournament, between junior football clubs in Munster and York, was the brainchild of the former Lord Mayor of York, Janet Hopton. Young footballers from York will visit the German city of Munster later this month in a bid to bring back the trophy. It is hoped that the tournament will further strengthen the links between the two twinned cities.

The current Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Irene Waudby, will hand the trophy to the Poppleton under-16 team later this week, so they can take it to the tournament in Germany.

The Lord Mayor said: "I'm delighted that the tournament will add another link between York and Munster, and it's fantastic that young people are getting involved. I only hope that the Poppleton Under-16s are able to bring the trophy back to York as the rightful winners of the inaugural tournament!"