Liverpool, Celtic and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish will be one of a host of former champions who will take to the famous fairways of Spain's La Manga Club to contest the 20th edition of the popular Footballers' Golf Classic this summer.

Single-figure handicapper Dalglish has won the title three times at the award-winning Murcian resort but faces one of the strongest challenges ever in the competition's history if he is to lift the trophy again when the event, sponsored by John Griffin, takes place from June 4-9.

Among the field targeting further success at La Manga Club will be previous double winners, former Aston Villa and Scotland striker turned Sky Sports commentator Alan McInally and ex-Millwall and Wales striker Steve Lovell, chasing his third victory in the last six years.

Defending champion Kenny Hibbitt – who won at the 13th time of asking last year – Pat Jennings, Russell Osman and Fraser McLachlan will also be aiming for more glory, while the likes of former Arsenal, Juventus and Republic of Ireland star Liam Brady and ex-England internationals Darius Vassell, Mark Wright, Ray Clemence, Dave Beasant and Kevin Davies – making his debut – are also set to feature.

The desire for UK golfers to visit La Manga Club has proved as strong as ever this year with all 45 team places for the 2016 event selling out nine months before it is staged on the resort's renowned South and North courses.

The golf classic will feature four days of competitive golf: the one-day Alan Ball Trophy and the three-day main event, which is being personally sponsored 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 resort's five-star Hotel Principe Felipe, breakfast, welcome and gala dinners and prize-giving with entertainment.

A five-time host of the Spanish Open and set in an area three times the size of Monaco, La Manga Club boasts three 18-hole courses, a nine-hole academy course and outstanding practice amenities – including mainland Spain's only Leadbetter Golf Academy – amongst its array of five-star sports and leisure facilities.

Among its recent accolades, La Manga Club was named 'Spain's Best Golf Hotel' for the second year running at the 2015 World Golf Awards, shortlisted at the 2015 Family Traveller Awards and voted 'Best Golf Resort in Spain' by UK readers of Today's Golfer magazine for the fifth year running.

As well as golf, the resort's extensive facilities also include a 28-court tennis academy, a High Performance Sports Centre 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 and 2015 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