We are proud to be to the exclusive UK partner of the Rey Cup, a football tournament held in Reykjavik, Iceland, that takes place every year for boys’ and girls’ U14 and U16 squads.
With over 90 teams annually competing in the tournament, superb facilities, high standard of opposition and quality excursions, we decided to attend the tournament ourselves this year to get a better understanding of what makes it so special.
Rayburn Tours’ Ski & Sports Tour Manager, Mike Varley, has penned down his thoughts from day one…
It’s the 21st July in Iceland and a mist reminiscent of a Scottish autumn has descended on the Rey Cup. Its arrival seems apt, it no doubt reflects the mood of the Liverpool Ladies U16 team who have just conceded a last minute equaliser in their opening game. The quality of the teams at this year’s Rey Cup is strong and international teams such as Liverpool Ladies are going to have to dig deep if they want to win the whole competition.
Now in its 15th year, the Rey Cup is a friendly and inclusive tournament, hosted by Throttur FC, a Reykjavik based Premier League club. With the final taking place in the country’s national stadium, teams from all over Iceland flock to the tournament hoping for the prestige that victory will bring. With international teams from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Canada and the US to name but a few, the competition is fierce!
Yet if victory is the aim on the pitch, then off it the tournament organisers want all the teams to take home positive memories of the tournament, not only of Iceland but also the pride of playing and competing as part of a team on tour. While football dominates the day, evenings are filled with discos, pool parties or cinema nights. Meanwhile all meals are served at the nearby Hilton hotel: this may be a youth tournament but this is a highly regarded and professionally organised event and everything has been thought of.
With such forethought and the assurance of good quality opposition, this really seems to be the perfect platform to help any youth football team bond and grow.
Late in the afternoon the mist had cleared and the sun shone through. Liverpool Ladies U16 cruised to victory in their second game. It seems that they had settled into the tournament, happy to be working as a team on the pitch and no doubt looking forward to time off it as well. They needn’t worry, the Rey Cup has it organised.
You can keep up to date with Mike’s visit to the Rey Cup by following us on our official Twitter page.