The desire for UK golfers to visit La Manga Club remains as strong as ever with the 20th edition of the popular Footballers' Golf Classic already a sell-out – nine months before it takes place at Spain's flagship resort.

The annual event is set to return to the award-winning venue's famous fairways from June 4-9, 2016, and organisers have already put up the 'sold out' notices with all 45 team places taken.

The golf classic has attracted some of football's biggest and best-known names over the last two decades with  including the likes of Liverpool, Celtic and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish – a three-time winner of the event – ex-Southampton and England star Matthew Le Tissier and current Scotland manager Gordon Strachan.

This year's event saw Wolves legend Kenny Hibbitt claim an emotional victory as he finally won at the 13th time of asking and competition is expected to be just as fierce next summer, with the celebrity line-up set to be unveiled next spring.

Terry Mancini, from Mancini Events, who organises the tournament, said: “With fantastic weather, three great golf courses and an array of other attractions, La Manga Club is the perfect venue for the event.

“Everyone loves going there and next year is going to be extra special as it's our 20th anniversary. We thought there might be a slightly bigger demand next summer so we raised the number of teams to 45, but we've  been overwhelmed at the interest shown and could have sold many more places. Everything points to it being another memorable week at one of the most famous golf resorts in the world.”

The golf classic features four days of competitive golf: the one-day Alan Ball Trophy and the three-day main event, which is being hosted by John Griffin, former chairman of previous sponsors Addison Lee and who has played in the event every year, with competitors playing in teams of three alongside a different footballer each day.

Entry includes five nights in the five-star Hotel La Manga Club Principe Felipe, breakfast, welcome and gala dinners and prize-giving with entertainment.

La Manga Club is widely regarded as Spain's flagship resort and, as well as being named as Spain's leading golf complex at the 2014 World Golf Awards, was recently handed the accolade of 'Best Golf Resort in Spain' by UK readers of Today's Golfer magazine for an impressive fourth year in a row.

In addition, the resort's position as Europe's premier golf destination has been further enhanced by the recent opening of a new Leadbetter Academy – the only such facility in mainland Spain – while the award-winning venue is set to stage the 3rd PGAs of Europe La Manga Club Pro-Am in February.

Boasting three 18-hole golf courses, La Manga Club's extensive facilities also include a 28-court tennis academy and 2,000m² spa and fitness complex, a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 20 bars and restaurants.

For further information about the Footballers' Golf Classic, visit www.mancinievents.co.uk, call 07918 644900 or email donna@mancinievents.co.uk .  For more details on La Manga Club, go to www.lamangaclub.com.

ENDS

Information for journalists

Press release written and distributed on behalf of La Manga Club by the Azalea Group.

La Manga Club
La Manga Club – www.lamangaclub.com – is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.  

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a new Leadbetter Golf Academy – the only one in mainland Spain – a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars.

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has been voted 'Best Golf Hotel/Resort in Spain' by UK readers of Today's Golfer magazine for the last four years and was named 'Best Golf Hotel in Spain' at the 2014 World Golf Awards. La Manga Club has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.

•    High-resolution images of La Manga Club may be downloaded for editorial purposes from https://goo.gl/oi837y  

For more information on La Manga Club contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com