Oxford United’s Under 12 and 13s are set to make history as they embark on the club’s first ever international tour for their age group, leaving for Barcelona on the 8th of February.
37 academy players, along with 8 members of staff, are getting ready to travel to Barcelona where they will play in the FIT Promises Cup and the Carnaval Cup between the 8th and the 11th of February.
The U13s will be taking a squad of 15 players and will be playing in the 10th edition of the Carnaval Cup, a tournament which is greatly celebrated in Spain and is streamed on live Spanish television.
They are the only British side in this year’s edition and have been placed in a group alongside Real Betis, Gimnastic de Tarragona and C.E. Premia De Dalt who are the hosts of the tournament.
Other groups include Spanish giants such as Barcelona, defending champions Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and many more.
The U12s will be taking a squad of 22 players and have entered two 7-a-side teams into the FIT Promises Cup. Like the Carnaval Cup, these players will be given the opportunity to play against some of the biggest clubs in the world.
Peter Wynne, U13 coach told us
“All staff and players are looking forward to a very unique and valuable experience for every single player. It being the first time that Oxford United Academy have gone away on an international tour with these ages makes it special and everyone is looking forward to what should be an extremely high-quality tournament.”