A proud family have achieved their very own football team after celebrating the birth of an 11th baby.

Parents Sue and Ivan Dyer welcomed 8lb 2oz Eloise to their home in The Chase, Great Tey, where she joined her brothers and sisters with days to spare before Christmas.

The Dyer family

The family now consists of Charlene, 15, James, 14, Kelly, 12, Daniel, ten, Kirsty, nine, Joe, seven, Natasha, five and Luke, four, Reuben, two, and Ivan Jnr, one, and Eloise.

Husband Ivan said they had also been amazed to discover that having a large number of children may run in his family.

"A lady in the village who was doing her family tree discovered she was distantly related to me and told me my great-grandfather had 11 children and his oldest son also had 11 children.

"It was very interesting to find it out as we had no idea," added Mr Dyer

Published Thursday, January 9, 2003