A showcase and celebration of all that's beautiful about Croatian culture and football gets underway at McLeod Road on Friday headlined by All Whites and Auckland City football legend Ivan Vicelich.

The Croatian Cultural Society's annual seven-a-side football tournament kicks off this Friday and Saturday at the club's McLeod Road base in Te Atatu and the on-field action is sure to be keenly contested.

"It's been going strong for around 35 years now and interest is as keen as ever," says club president, Ivan Pervan, "We've re-invented the event as a seven-a-side tournament so we could get more teams involved. The turnout over the past few years has been fantastic."

Several top stars have graced the shirts of one of the teams over the years, none bigger than Ivan Vicelich - New Zealand's highest capped international player and the current captain of Auckland City FC, Oceania's champion club side.

The tournament holds a special place in Vicelich's heart with the trophy that the teams are competing for named in honour of his brother Robert who tragically passed away after a car accident in Los Angeles in 2002.

Pervan said: "Robert was a much-loved member of our community and a very keen footballer like his brother Ivan. It is a great honour for our club to bring our community together each year to honour his memory in this way."

Along with Vicelich, who will lead the Hvar side, fellow Auckland City teammate Daniel Koprivcic will turn out for Zagreb while former New Zealand All Whites international Paul Urlovic will be a key player for Korcula.

There will also be plenty of other entertainment including performances by touring Australian/Croatian recording artist Ivica Fonti, a bouncy castle for kids, youth football matches for boys and girls and fantastic traditional Croatian cuisine and wine.

"We welcome everyone throughout Auckland to join us this weekend to enjoy our unique and colourful Croatian hospitality, culture, music, cuisine and of course, the great football. It will be a memorable occasion and everyone is most welcome to attend!" said Pervan.

The sides are split amongst areas that experienced the highest levels of migration - the large islands of Korcula and Hvar, mainland areas Zagreb, Makarska Rivijera, and Vrgorska Dolina along with the island village of Pupnat.

The players do not have to be born in the region their team represents but must have blood ties or have married into a family with links to the area.

The football tournaments were originally held at Central United FC's Kiwitea Street ground in Sandringham but have moved to west Auckland where many migrants first settled and descendants still reside today.

The tournament was re-established in 2003 but dates back to the mid 1970's when migrants created a competition to celebrate the game they love and to keep alive traditions from their homeland.