Cree will be playing for the UK team in the tournament in Switzerland.

A “football-mad” youngster will be representing the UK in a diabetic football tournament in Switzerland next month.

Cree Gregory-Sayce, of Newbury Park, has been selected for the national boy’s team in the Diabetes Junior Cup Football Championship in Lausanne.

The 10-year-old will fly out with mum Victoria at the end of August to a hotel on the edge of Lake Geneva for three football-packed days.

Victoria said: “He’s football mad, he has been since a very young age.

“Steven Gerrard is his idol, he wrote a poem about him to win his place about following in his footsteps.”

Cree has Type 1 diabetes. The hereditary condition means he needs to inject insulin to control his blood sugar levels.

But the condition has been no barrier to Cree, who also plays for the Redbridge United Royals team, run by dad Elvis.

Victoria said: “He tried really hard, he’s done brilliantly.

“Sport actually helps his diabetes because if you do exercise it helps control your blood sugar levels.

“But you’ve got to be careful not to go too far the other way. For a 10-year-old to understand that is amazing.”

Cree currently does all his own injections and is on the waiting list for pump therapy, which automatically controls insulin levels.

In the championships, run by medicine company Medtronic, he will play with a team of eight to 12-year-olds against squads from countries including Germany and the USA.