Young Brewers all set for overseas tour

Burton Albion Academy under-11s are jetting abroad as they travel to Rotterdam to take part in the Jan Bouman tournament.

Hosted by Dutch side SC Vitoria 04, the tournament will feature sides as West Ham, Luton Town, AZ Alkmaar, ADO Den Haag, Vitesse, FC Utrecht, Royal Antwerp, FC Copenhagen, PSV, Club Brugge.

In a whirlwind weekend, the Brewers will jet off on Friday, 1 September, play friendly matches on the Saturday, the tournament itself on the following day before returning home on the Sunday evening.

It's the fourth time in 12 months that the Academy has attended an overseas tour, and the second time the Brewers have entered the Jan Bouman tournament.

James Lloyd, academy foundation phase lead and tour lead said: "The players are excited, they have been away to Oakham together last season but to face some of the big clubs across Europe will be a good challenge for them.

"Being away from parents and in a new environment we expect the players to be challenged socially, the challenge of some very good teams is an exciting one and one we hope the players won't forget.

“Exposing players to different styles and cultures will really help them moving forward. Tournament football is always a great thing to be involved in as well so we hope the group creates a togetherness and resilience that they can take from the trip."

Cole Gilbert and Roman Lamey who were on the tour when last year's under-11s went to Rotterdam had some advice for this year's group.

They said: “We learnt from last year's trip to be resilient as a team and always work together. Celebrating in the changing room after a win was a fun bit and when we scored we all celebrated together on the pitch as a team.

“Our advice to this year's group would be to have fun, give it your all, make sure you enjoy the moments and you never know what might happen."

Cassius Lyons, current under-11 and part of this year's group said: "I'm excited to go away.

“I've never been on a trip like this before or even on a trip outside of this country and it feels amazing to be going. I can't wait to play with my mates and learn as much as I can, as well as get to know my mates a bit better and hopefully I play well and get an experience out of it."

Academy manager, Dan Robinson said: "This is another brilliant opportunity for our Academy players to play football in another country.

“Playing against a different style of football in a different environment is a vital part of their development and we know that it will only benefit them in the long run. We are running tours for as many age groups as we can to try and get them the experience that will hopefully make them better players.”