The University will welcome some of the world’s most talented young footballers in August 2017 when Southampton Football Club hosts a new competition for boys’ and girls’ teams from across the globe.
Some of the best European teams have already signed up for the inaugural Southampton Cup, including Belgium’s RSC Anderlecht, Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia and Spanish side Real Club Deportivo La Coruna, as well as a number of other professional academies from the UK and other countries. The competition is open to both professional academy teams (Academy Section) and non-elite teams (Premier Section).
The University’s Wide Lane Sports Ground will be the hub of the event, taking place over eight days, with a large number of football pitches being used alongside facilities at Southampton Football Club’s Staplewood Campus.
The University is also providing accommodation through its halls of residence and will support participants through catering services as well as the Unilink bus service, which will operate around the city and between tournament sites.
Southampton Football Club hopes the tournament will become a key fixture in the calendar for youth football clubs around the world, bringing some of the most talented young players to the region for a ‘festival of football’.
Tournament Manager Sophie Dugan said:
We can’t wait to get The Southampton Cup underway. Our aim is to become one of the leading youth football tournaments worldwide, and one teams will want to return to, year after year. The tournament will be a real platform for players across the globe to be exposed to the Southampton Way and display their talents against global teams.
