Travel is always an eye opening and enriching experience. Traveling in Europe with your soccer team is even better and a totally different experience than traveling as a family.European youth soccer tournaments are amazing, life-changing and fabulous experience worth every penny. The pride and joy felt by youth soccer players when they walk on to a soccer field in a foreign country and represent America ... well, that feeling lasts forever. Besides the sheer fun of the great adventure, the challenges that lie ahead on the other side of the Atlantic are simply not to be missed.
Mark Twain once said, 'Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.'
Two of the top International youth soccer tournaments are the and the Donosti Cup , two very different yet complimentary soccer experiences.
The IberCup is one of the most important World Youth Football Tournaments in the planet bringing together 50 countries with more than 8000 players, coaches and family from more than 400 teams coming to beautiful Estoril, Portugal. The U10 to U19 soccer tournament lasts a week and it is an extraordinary opportunity to compete against some of the most elite youth soccer teams in the world.
The highly competitive IberCup soccer tournament is held in a majestically gorgeous part of the world just 20 Kilometers from Lisbon -- on fields just off the beautiful sea of the Estoril Coast. Participating in this high-level football tournament includes splashing in the beautiful Mediterranean waters and relaxing on great beaches, usually a quick walk from your hotel. With an easy to use train that connects all the beach communities along the coastline, exploring the towns of Sintra and Cascais is simple and not to be missed. With great off field activities from zip lining to shopping and pub-crawling to fine dining, Estoril is a dream destination.
In many American soccer tournaments, the same youth teams compete against their usual rivals. When you step off the plane and enter into the world of international youth soccer, this all changes for the better. If your team craves new competition, here are some of the famous teams that participate in the IberCup: FC Porto, SL Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, FC Zenit, Liverpool FC, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, O. Lyon, Atletico de Madrid, Inter Milan, Real Betis, Malaga CF, Espanyol Barcelona, Saudi Arabia National Team, Chivas Guadalajara, Paris St Germain, Sevilla FC, CR Vasco da Gama, Deportivo la Coruña and Olimpique Marseille.
IberCup follows FIFA's football rules and limits 32 teams in each age category. If the maximum enrollment of teams is reached before the deadline for registrations, registrations will close before the scheduled date so do not delay if you wish to compete. The IberCup 2015 will be held from June 30 th - July 5 th.
'The IberCup, through soccer, creates the possibility for meetings both outside and on the field with participants from all over the world,' said Filipe Rodrigues, IberCup Tournament Manager. 'The impact to have teams from the U.S. is tremendous. We can see year after year the quality and skills of U.S. youth soccer teams is growing.'
In 2014, there were seven teams from the U.S. competing in the IberCup. One of the teams was the San Diego Surf SC Academy team coached by Steve Hill. While this BU13 team did not make it to the finals, the team competed well and made it out of bracket play and was eliminated in the second round of subsequent competition. 'With the opportunity to play against players who were truly tough competition, the Surf SC boys performed well and enjoyed their experiences immensely,' said Hill. 'Playing in an European youth soccer tournament is terrific and I highly recommend it.'
While football is a shared bond we all recognize, it is different when youth players meet others as fascinated with the game as they and yet the only language they share is that of kicking the ball.The Donosti Cup is held in San Sebastian, Spain and is a tournament with the opening ceremonies held in Real Sociedad stadium. The soccer tournament is held in a coastal area known as the Basque country. San Sebastian is off the Bay of Biscay, and is a mere 12 miles from the border with France and an easy day trip to Biarritz. With under ground caves to visit and windy streets to explore, this area also offers great off field adventures.
'It is important for the Donosti Cup to have many nationalities represented, especially with teams from the U.S., where soccer is growing. We consider that San Sebastian is an ideal place to hold the Donosti Cup,' said Inigo Olaizola, Tournament spokesperson.
In the 2014, a total of 423 teams competed in the Donosti Cup. With teams coming from 22 countries including Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Sweden, Faeroe Islands, Germany, Belgium, Azerbaijan, India, Palestine, Sahara Occidental, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Australia, USA, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, this football tournament is an international affair.
Far more American teams travel to participate in the Donosti Cup than the IberCup. 'In the 2014, a total of 39 teams from USA participated, setting a new record in the history of the tournament. This means that nearly 800 players and more than 600 parents have come from USA to San Sebastian to participate in the Donosti Cup,' said Olaizola.
More pictures from the Donosti Cup are available on Flickr here.
Like many other top teams in the USA, Surf SC worked with Premier International Tours to arrange participation in the 2014 IberCup and Donosti Cup. Premier International Tours is an Official Team Tour Partner of U.S. Soccer and all their soccer tours are sanctioned by the NSCAA. An International Tour Partner of U.S. Club Soccer, the travel company has years of experience working with youth soccer teams and international tournaments.
Founder and President of Premier International Tours, Loek Van Ziji said, 'Premier International Tours is excited to have tournaments like the IberCup and Donosti Cup as partners. Both tournaments locations are in prominent soccer countries, offer international competition as well as sun, sea, sand and soccer. Both Lisbon and San Sebastian are breathtaking cities and offer a one of kind cultural experience for our teams'.
As a final note, this is truly a remarkable trip that bonds parents and players alike and enriches all who travel with amazing memories and stories which will last a lifetime. The high level youth soccer is outstanding and so are the life experiences of being abroad with a soccer team.