Young Bulls Picture Competition

Football fans across Britain, including those at Hereford United, are being invited to help create a 'young and hungry' fan base for the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, after the competition launched an appeal to find little dribbling stars of the future.

The trophy, which enjoyed its best ever attendance figures for the 2008/09 season, is now looking for happy new football faces courtesy of an alive-and-kicking baby competition.

Johnstone's is asking all fans to send pictures of their little ones - clad in team colours - for the chance of their "young star" to feature on its new official website, where they will be displayed in a special Trophy Tots gallery section ahead of the new season.

The first 50 entries will receive a Johnstone's Paint Trophy mini-football and a Johnstone's Paint Trophy panel will then pick a shortlist of six in August, which supporters will be able to vote for on the website.

The competition has been created in an attempt to find some of the nation's cutest and youngest football fans, in a light hearted effort to engage with Football League clubs up and down the country.

It will also coincide with the launch of the trophy's radical new website, which has been redesigned to engage with more football fans than ever.

Johnstone's Paint Trophy sponsorship manager Sally Binns said: "We have created a Trophy Tot competition in an attempt to find some budding new fans of the future. We're always keen to interact with supporters of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and we thought this would be another fun and colourful way of doing so."

The Trophy Tots initiative will be split into three age categories; 0 - 12 months; 12months to 2 years and 2 years to 4 years. All fans have to do is email a picture and age of their little son or daughter, complete in club scarf, hat, shirt or any other memorabilia, to sally.binns@PPG.com by Sunday August 30. Selected entries will be displayed on www.johnstonespainttrophy.com in three age categories once the new website launches in early August, each age range will then be shortlisted for fans to vote for the winner.

As for the competition itself the draw for the First Round of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy will take place on Sky Sports' Soccer AM on Saturday, 15 August.

A new policy has also been adopted in the determining of the 16 Round 1 byes following recommendations at club meetings. Clubs can no longer receive byes in any season, so any club who received a bye in 2008-09 will not be eligible for a bye in 2009-10.

Clubs who received byes last season were:

Northern Section: Bury, Carlisle United, Chester City, Darlington, Huddersfield Town, Lincoln City, Rochdale, Rotherham United.

Southern Section: Cheltenham Town, Gillingham, HEREFORD UNITED, Luton Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Peterborough United, Walsall, Wycombe Wanderers.

---