It was a memorable weekend of European football for Cambridge United Academy, as the U12s, U13s and U15s all travelled to Germany to test themselves against some of the continent’s elite youth sides…
The U12s competed in the highly regarded Heiden Cup, finishing 16th out of 24 teams in a tournament packed with quality. The young U’s faced strong opposition throughout, taking on the likes of Juventus, Schalke, AZ Alkmaar, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Hamburg and Cologne, gaining invaluable experience against top-level European opposition.
Meanwhile, the U13s impressed at the Donges Cup, progressing through three sets of group stages before reaching the quarter-finals - the club's best ever finish. The team won eight games in total, including against Brentford and Brøndby IF.
The standout achievement of the weekend came from the U15s, who finished third in the Pape Cup - the club's highest finish in 10 years. The young U’s were beaten only by PSV Eindhoven and Hertha Berlin, ending the tournament ahead of several renowned academies including, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Leeds United.
The tour provided a fantastic opportunity for players and staff alike, offering exposure to different playing styles, cultures and elite-level competition, and underlined the continued progress being made within Cambridge United’s Academy programme.
