A leading national five-a-side football company is to kick-start a £1 million charity fundraising campaign by hosting a football competition.

The Bradford Five-a-Side Challenge, in aid of the Born in Bradford research project, is a series of seven tournaments open to all which starts on Wednesday, September 13, at 7pm and culminates in a grand final on Sunday, October 1.

The winning team from each tournament will be presented with a trophy and individual medals, and runners-up will also get medals.

The top two teams from each tournament will go through to the final to play for the first prize of a weekend for seven in Barcelona, including flights and accommodation and a trip to the city's famous Nou Camp Stadium.

Entry costs £30 per team and it is hoped 140 teams of no more then seven players will sign up.

Every team will receive a free, quality football and contribute to raising money for Born in Bradford, a major international study being conducted in the district to determine the causes of childhood and adult illness.

The study will follow the lives of 10,000 babies born in the city over the next three years and aims to discover why some children fall ill, and others don't.

The project is based at Bradford Teaching Hospitals and will involve the whole of Bradford with the aim of improving the health of children, not just here but nationally and internationally.

Funding of £500,000 has already been secured to start the study, but the local community is being asked to help raise a further £1m to develop facilities and staff support.

The football tournament, which aims to raise as much money as possible for this ground-breaking project, is being hosted by the city's Goals Soccer Centre in Kings Road, Swain House, Bradford.

The £1.7m development is fully floodlit and the pitches have been laid with third generation rubber filled astro-turf.

There is also a sports pavilion, which includes a fully-furnished sports bar with a TV showing live football matches.

The development has been built in the grounds of Hanson School, and will be used by schoolchildren during the day during term time. The public will have access after school and during school holidays.

General manager Paul Heppell said: "Every time we open a new site we always run a tournament for a local charity. We are more than happy to raise money for Born in Bradford.

"We want as many people as possible to sign up and show their support for this great cause."

To enter call (01274) 610061 or visit www.goalsfootball.

co.uk.

To find out more about how you can support Born in Bradford, contact fundraising manager Barbara Jackson on 01274 382306.

For more information visit www.borninbradford.nhs.uk e-mail: claire.lomax @bradford.newsquest.co.uk