Youth Academy squad kindly invited to Invitational Youth Cup later this month.
Players from Gillingham Football Club’s successful Youth Academy will travel to the Caribbean to play in the Cayman Airways Invitational Youth Cup later this month.
The tournament, which takes place from June 20-25, features two teams from each of the Cayman, Jamaica, America and the UK (Tottenham Hotspur being our other entrant).
Setting off from Heathrow on June 19, the 16 players - largely from last season's under-14 group - and four staff will spend all day travelling to their destination.
The action starts the following day with an early welcoming ceremony for all the teams, followed by our first game against Jamaican side Cavailier FC (8pm local time, 2am BST). Further fixtures follow on the Tuesday (versus local team Academy SC, kick-off 5pm local time) and a match against American team IFFDC on the Thursday. The knock-out games begin on the Friday (June 17), with a potential final on Saturday.
Schoolboy Development Manager Bryan Bull believes the trip will be a fantastic experience for these players to benefit from, one which is due to the very generous sponsorship from Cayman Airways and the patronage and organisation of Academy Sports Club.
"We are all really looking forward to the trip, which is a great opportunity for the group to not only play tournament football, but experience a completely different environment, and learn more about preparation, recovery, diet and hydration,” he said. “If these player wish to get to the top, they will need to take heed of all these things.
“Hopefully there will be some time for a little relaxation, but too long in the pool and in the sun prior to a match doesn't really mix!"
For more information, visit the Cayman Airways Invitational Youth Cup website.
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