Community Football Festival goes from strength to strength with Playr-Fit announced as main Sponsors

Organisers of the Desy Jennings Football Festival hope this year will be the biggest and most ambitious yet, thanks to the arrival of main sponsor Playr-Fit one of Newry's most progressive companies.

Increasing in size every year, the festival started off as a one day tournament and now it's on for four days. In 2026 it will run from Thursday 4 to Sunday 7 June. This year the festival will remember ten local people by naming cups in their honour.

Last night, 11 March the festival was launched at the new Playr-Fit premises in Cloughogue Business Park with clubs, community leaders, volunteers and supportersl turning up in numbers.

Speaking at the event, main organiser Marty Jennings spoke of the festival aims:  "The aim of the tournament, is 1: to get all kids playing football and enjoying it. 2: Raise money for Chest Heart Stroke NI and 3: Keep people's memory alive. That's basically it. To me that's a success, every year that happens. But It's not just me on my own, it's a total group effort and that's what it takes."

The major announcement of the night confirmed Playr-Fit as the main sponsor for this year’s festival, a partnership organisers say will help take the event to the next level. The support will assist with expanding the tournament, improving activities and help the festival continue to attract teams from across Ireland and the UK, including visiting sides from Newcastle upon Tyne and Liverpool.

Jennings  thanked Playr-Fit for their support and help in organising the event. "They have been invaluable in helping our fundraising efforts. They are a sport clothing brand that makes kits for local clubs, which means they're already right at the heart of the grassroots sport. They don't just work in sport, they're part of it. Their support will help us lift the quality of this tournament from how teams look, to how the event feels, to what we can offer the players and clubs taking part. But more importantly, they back this because they believe in grassroots sports and local clubs, and giving players something to feel proud to wear. That's exactly the kind of partner you want for a community tournament like this. On behalf of all the players, families, organisers, thank you Darren and Kieran from Playr-Fit, we are genuinely proud to have you as a partner."

Guests at the launch also witnessed the unveiling of a new official jersey for festival volunteers and referees, designed in partnership with Playr-Fit. The jerseys recognise the vital contribution of volunteers and match officials who help make the event possible each year.

Speaking at the launch Newry City Councillor Aidan Mathers said: "The effort that this family [Jennings] and the extended volunteers put in is immense. I remember, a couple of weeks after the tournament last year, Marty ringing me to arrange a sit-down, to start planning for this year's event. So that gives you a wee idea of the planning that these people put into this event and the sheer number of families that it impacts on so really, really well done."

A new Desy Jennings Football Festival clothing range was also launched, with profits from sales going directly to Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, continuing the festival’s commitment to supporting the charity and raising awareness of chest, heart and stroke conditions across Northern Ireland.

Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins spoke of just how important the festival is: "Tonight is really just the measure of the people of Newry and I think when you celebrate exactly what Newry people are about, this is testament to it. I want to congratulate Marty and everybody involved in establishing this tournament, but also for sticking with it and allowing it to grow into what it has. As a parent of a young child now just coming through soccer and really getting his teeth into one of the local soccer teams, I know just how important soccer is to the community here in Newry. It brings people together, but it also builds a community for our young people as they grow up and I think it's absolutely fantastic."

The launch night provided an opportunity to recognise the volunteers, local businesses and supporters, whose contributions have helped the festival grow from a grassroots initiative into a major community football event.

Alongside the football action, this year’s festival will once again feature a Family Fun Day, creating a welcoming environment for supporters and families to enjoy the event together.

Jennings added that the tournament's aim is to bring community together around youth and amateur sport. "The tournament is built around youth and amateur players. The kids who play because they love the game. The teams who are building confidence. The adults who still show up after work because soccer is still their passion. We are bringing together around 96 teams, 1200 players, plus 100s of family members and supporters across the tournament."

He continued: "This means busy sidelines, loud cheers, weekend matches and a lot of proud moments. Sport at all level does more than fill a schedule. It builds confidence, friendships, teamwork and a real sense of belonging, and that's exactly what we want this tournament to be about. The aim is to bring together kids from all over to play football and to enjoy themselves. What makes this special is that it's local. These are local players, local families, local clubs, local business all supporting each other. The tournament isn't just about winning games. It's about kids wearing their team colours with pride, parents cheering from the sideline and clubs feeling the wider support of their community. It becomes something people look forward to every year. One of the main aims of the tournament is to remember local people who have touched all our hearts and still mean something to us, to keep their name alive, that's what it's all about."

With the help of the community and business support the Desy Jennings Football Festival has the potential to be every bit as important a fixture in the norths sporting calendar as the Foyle Cup.

With preparations now well underway excitement is already building ahead of the tournament, which promises to be another fantastic celebration of grassroots football and community spirit.

Further details about fixtures and participating teams will be announced in the coming weeks.