Vale Academy teams in the four foundation age groups from U9 to U12 competed in the Manchester International Cup held at the Wythenshawe Sports Ground of the University of Manchester during the Easter holiday period.
The Tournament Included teams from a number of local EFL Academies and also featured teams from Wales, Ireland, France, South Africa and Gibraltar.
Each age group included around 10 teams and the Vale did particularly well by winning in both the U10 and U12 categories. The U9s and U11s progressed through their group stages but were both narrowly defeated on penalties in the semi-finals of their respective sections.
Academy FDP Lead Coach and Head of Recruitment Lee Foyle was delighted with another successful tournament for the Vale teams. “This latest showing follows on nicely from other similar successful tournaments that we have taken part in this season.” he said.
“The event was well organised and included a good range of teams with different styles of play which is a great experience for the lads.”
"It was interesting to see how our teams coped with the different tactics required for the relatively short group stage games and the longer final stage matches.
“All four teams also experienced the pressure of a penalty shoot-out and the way that they responded to this showed their strength of character and togetherness regardless of the outcome.”
“Once again it’s a great credit to our hardworking Academy coaching staff who have demonstrated, at tournaments like this throughout the season, how well we can compete against other teams at all age levels.”
All four teams will be seen during the half time interval of the final home game of the season against Macclesfield on Saturday. They will be joined by the latest crop of U8s players who have just signed their first contracts with the club. The U8s will walk out with the players prior to the match and then play a game against boys from the U9 age group at half time.