A FOOTBALL fan tragically killed in a car crash would have been “proud as punch” of a charity six-a-side tournament held in his honour.

Dean Iley’s death in December 2016 at just 21 years old devastated the Weardale community, where the passionate Liverpool Football Club fan was well-known and loved. So when his mother Julie Dixon asked local sports coach Dean Tinkler if he would organise a football tournament in his memory, he was keen to make her dream a reality.

Mr Tinkler promptly put out a call for teams and was overwhelmed with entries from across County Durham.

And yesterday the footballers battled it out at Wolsingham Sports Hall cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd of spectators.

With the World Cup set to begin this week, Mr Tinker called the event the Weardale World Cup, assigning each team a country to represent. Six-a-side matches took place from 10am before the final got underway between Colombia and Germany shortly after 2pm.

Germany, represented by Brian Hughes and his team from Spennymoor, put up a good fight but it was Colombia, represented by Jake Henderson and the Tow Law team, who lifted the winner’s trophy at the end of the match.

Mr Tinkler, who used to coach Mr Iley when he was a child, said: “It’s been a fantastic event. All of the teams turned up and we have seen some cracking football played here today. The weather has mostly been good and it was nice to have so many people he at the start to cheer the players on.”

Last November, Mr Tinkler, 27, organised a charity football tournament in memory of a teenager who died of cancer, with the money raised split between the Teenage Cancer Trust and Weardale MS Society.

Players taking part in the Weardale World Cup donated £5 each and Mrs Dixon and her husband, Colin, plan to donate the proceeds to the same charities. More than £600 has been secured all ready and further funds are expected to be raised through the raffle, with prizes donated by Marks and Spencer, where Mr Iley, from Wolsingham, worked.

Mrs Dixon said: “I feel overwhelmed by how many people have turned up today. To have 20 teams taking part is fantastic.

“Dean [Tinkler] has worked so hard and we are so grateful to him for organising this in Dean’s memory. He would have been proud as punch.”