Academy youngsters shine as U12s win Premier League Truce Tournament
Southampton's younger Academy age groups have enjoyed success in several tournaments across Europe, as the Under-12s won the Premier League Christmas Truce Tournament in Belgium.
The Under-12s took the headlines against some of the best Academy sides in Europe over the weekend as they travelled to Belgium for the prestigious youth competition.
They initially topped their qualifying group in November, beating Chelsea, Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth and Reading over the Remembrance weekend in Portsmouth.
That set up a trip to Belgium where they reached the final of the competition which featured Bayer Leverkusen, KRC Genk, Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Brentford.
Saints' youngsters beat the previously unbeaten Anderlecht in the final with a 2-0 win, sealing a memorable trip for Craig Angus and Daryl White's group.
"Every player represented Southampton FC and their families with pride all weekend," said Angus, U11-12s Player Development Lead, "we are all proud of their outstanding and historic achievement in being crowned Christmas Truce 2024 winners.
"A weekend of learning and remembrance, both on and off the pitch, with memories that will last a lifetime and hopefully act as a springboard for further individual development."
The Truce Tournament also offers valuable learning experiences off the pitch.
Elsewhere, our Academy's 2013-born squad, made up of players from the Under-11s and Under-12s, travelled to Salou in Spain to compete in the Joinville Cup against European giants in Juventus, Barcelona, Lyon, PSG and Benfica.
The youngsters qualified from a tough group but their journey ended in the last 16 against the eventual winners, but they gained valuable experience playing against competitive opponents from some of the world's best youth academies.
For the first time, our Under-10s travelled to Poland for the MFC Elite Cup, joined by the likes of Juventus, Feyenoord, Benfica and KRC Genk for a set of extremely competitive games.
The 2015-born team had impressive wins - 2-0 over Juventus and 4-2 over Slovan Bratislava - but finished in seventh place overall, with Zac Lacey winning the Player of the Tournament trophy.
Finally, our Under-14s travelled to Portugal and Malta to compete in the Portimão International Cup and KHS Cup with squads made up of our 2010 and 2011-born U13s and U14s.
Saints reached the quarter-finals in Portugal after facing the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting Lisbon, before being knocked out by the eventual winners, Real Betis; meanwhile, they came second in the tournament in Malta.
The teams were praised for the way they competed against physically strong players, moved the ball and adapted as the games progressed.
Head of Academy Operations, Kirsty Whitton, added, "it's part of our programme to provide these opportunities for our young players to face some of the best Academies around Europe in competitive games, and we're proud of how all the age groups have represented themselves and the club."As with all the tournaments, they benefitted from fantastic events that provide plenty of experiences and memories on and off the pitch that will support their development journeys."
Main image: Saints Under-12s lift the Truce Tournament trophy
