Local police forces take on the rest of the world in Santa Ponsa

This year, nearly 160 teams are going to be playing in the tournament, which gets under way tomorrow evening with the Olympic-style opening ceremony at 9pm at the sports centre. The football itself kicks off early on Friday morning. The majority of the teams are participating in the official tournament which is for security, military and government personnel.

So, Santa Ponsa is currently packed full of police and security agents from all the world: from the Far East, the Indian Ocean, eastern and northern Europe, not to mention the rest of Europe, mainland Spain and of course Majorca.

The first of two amateur tournaments is being played simultaneously, with the second amateur tournament being held in the same location next week. The action gets under way on Friday and the football continues throughout the day on Saturday with the play-offs and the finals being played on Sunday. They will be followed by a gala, prize-giving ceremony at the sports centre.

There are a number of new teams this year, in particular the Royal Police from Monaco who will be in their full gala uniform. Gibraltar are returning as are the Metropolitan Police along with a number of other UK forces and military teams. The tournament is open to the public for free, so come along and support your country or adopted team and meet the players.
As media sponsor, the Bulletin will also be present, as will the Lions who will be collecting money for charity.