POOLE already boasts it has the best beaches in England, now it is attracting the best beach soccer players in the country to its golden sands.

A newly-constructed beach soccer pitch at Canford Cliffs has proved perfect for England Beach Soccer (EBS).

The organisation and Borough of Poole have formed a partnership that will see Poole’s beaches become the training base for the national team.

John Hawkins, chief executive of EBS, said: “The facilities are terrific for beach sports and the level of interest already shown in developing this new sport has been very exciting.”

They have already used the pitch for their final training session before selecting this season’s squad, with a series of full-scale international standard matches. The team will return to Poole’s beaches on the Sundays of June 5, June 19 and July 24.

Beach soccer was originally inspired by the acrobatic football played on the beaches of Brazil. The ball spends most of the time in the air and the players improvise with overhead kicks and diving headers.

The pitch is roughly a quarter the size of a grass pitch and teams have up to 10 players, with five on the sand at any time.

This year’s World Cup is being played in Italy.

“This thrilling family spectacle encourages our youngsters to try a sport which is a bit different,” said Cllr Judy Butt, cabinet portfolio holder for public engagement and participation.

“Attracting many aficionados and spectators nationally will boost our town’s economy and give Poole residents yet another reason to freely enjoy our superb beaches.”

Funding from developers means the goals are a permanent fixture for Poole’s beaches and anyone can use them. Balls, nets and corner flags can be borrowed from Canford Cliffs beach office for a refundable deposit.