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.
Rayburn Tours’ Ski & Sports Tour Manager, Mike Varley, visited the 2016 Rey Cup in order to experience the tournament first-hand.
Here are Mike’s conclusions from day two, the final day of his visit…
Day two at the Rey Cup and most teams are now four matches in. The Icelandic clubs have good support from parents and friends, but the thrill of playing international teams seems to focus some of the teams whilst it stupefies others. Conceding early leaves an uphill battle no matter who the opposition may be.
The point is that tournament football is great at giving lessons. For some, the best player leads the way as expected and the coaches’ tactics go to plan, for others doubts surface and tactics must be redrawn. On tour, staying together and playing games daily, young players learn how to be a team, coaches learn about their players and the players learn about themselves.
The Rey Cup organisers certainly want that too and so team accommodation and good quality food at the Hilton hotel is provided for all so that football can be the main focus of the week.
Some of the Icelandic teams have driven the breadth of the country, six to eight hours, to be here but even the Reykjavik based teams stay together and eat together.
What happens on tour doesn’t just stay on tour, it impacts on the future too and all the teams at this year’s Rey Cup will have grown because of their experience.
Preseason will be upon us all soon enough. I can’t help but feel that the teams here at the Rey Cup will be one step ahead.
Missed day one? Catch up with here.