TRIBUTES have been paid to a talented young footballer who died in a drowning tragedy in The Netherlands.

Dan Sirrell, of Peterlee, County Durham, was with a group of friends in Amsterdam when he fell into a canal. The 21-year-old was taken to hospital after the incident early on Sunday, but was later pronounced dead.

Officials at Harton and Westoe FC in South Shields, where Mr Sirrell had played for the last two seasons, described him as a "lovely young lad" who would be greatly missed.

Club chairman Malcolm Cooper said: "Everyone offers the most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Dan Sirrell.

"He was just the most incredible young man. Beautiful inside and out. He was loved by everybody in the club.

"Anybody who met him couldn't fail but to like him. He was always smiling and he will be a big miss. He was a talented player, but off the pitch he was always happy and smiling."

He added: "Everyone at the club is devastated. As a club we are all trying to help each other and to try and stay in touch with the family and helping as best we can."

"We do believe that Dan and the people he traveled with may not have had insurance.

"There are two JustGiving pages which have been set up - one by his friends and the other by my son on behalf of the football club to help the family cover repatriation costs and the funeral."

  • You can visit one of the JustGiving pages here

Police in the Dutch capital are still investigating the circumstances of Mr Sirrell's death, but it is understood there are no suspicious circumstances.

A spokesman said: "A 21-year-old man drowned after he hit the water at the Kloveniersburgwal canal in Amsterdam.

"How exactly he landed in the water has not yet been determined."

A spokesman for Newton Aycliffe Junior FC added: "He was a fantastic lad and a brilliant footballer. Just absolutely sickening news."

Writing on a JustGiving page, friend Connor Elderes said: “Over the weekend Daniel and his close friends went to Amsterdam for a weekend away, six of us went and tragically only five came back.”

He continued: “What started as an amazing day ended in our worst nightmare, Dan had a tragic accident and where he was resuscitated by emergency services... he was taken to hospital followed by friends where he sadly passed spending his last moments with his friends by his side early hours of Sunday morning.

“While being treated he incurred steep medical costs and now we need to raise as much money as we can to bring Daniel home to his Mam Karen; his Dad Jeff; his two brothers Adam and Jonathan along with his girlfriend Sam.”

He added: “He has left a huge hole in all of our lives. Please, please help bring Dan home to his family and friends to give him the send off he deserves. He will be truly missed and deserves to come home.”