ACADEMY TRAVEL TO ITALIAN FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

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U15s and U16s spend Easter abroad

2024-04-16T09:00:00.000Z

ACADEMY TRAVEL TO ITALIAN FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

U15s and U16s spend Easter abroad

2024-04-16T09:00:00.000Z

U15s and U16s spend Easter abroad

A selection of players from Burnley’s U15 and U16 age groups spent the Easter weekend taking part in a football tournament in Italy!

The group took part in the country’s largest youth football tournament for the first time, with various professional teams from Europe’s top leagues in attendance.

An action-packed weekend started with a flight from Manchester Airport to Venice on Friday morning, before travelling further to the tournament location in Pordenone.

On arrival they were straight into an exciting opening ceremony before settling down for the evening with a busy weekend of fixtures ahead.

Burnley’s 17-player squad competed in the 32-team tournament which contained high calibre opposition including Udinese, Venezia FC, FC Lausanne, Partizan Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb.

The group were tested in some challenging conditions and even took part in two penalty shootouts, with the tournament proving to be a valuable learning experience.

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Away from the pitch there was an important social element, with the opportunity to mix with and learn from youngsters from different countries and backgrounds.

On the trip, captain Freddie Best said: “It was a really enjoyable experience for the lads and helped us bond as team.

“We battled and worked hard in some unfavourable conditions and were proud to reach the semi- final, especially given the young nature of our side”.

Chris Heap, Burnley’s Academy Player Care Lead, added: “We were delighted to be able to take the group away to Italy.

“Such trips are an important part of our young players’ development, not just on the pitch but off it too, and hopefully they have made some memories to last a lifetime.

“The lads represented the club impeccably, coping with some challenging moments well and were a credit throughout.”