 |
 Soccer
is often considered the national sport of Great Britain, and
the country is generally credited with giving the game to
the world. Every year soccer players from around the world
travel to Great Britain to take part in international youth
tournaments and to test themselves against the future stars
of British football. For the past two decades, Challenger
World Tours has made this happen for teams from all over the
United States!
We know how to create just the right balance of competitive
play, training, sightseeing and travel to make this the trip
of a lifetime for your players and parents. Challenger Tours
are custom created for each team to maximize the benefits
youngsters gain from these sporting events: building team
spirit; meeting players from different cultures; developing
communication skills; and becoming more confident and self-assured.
Just imagine how much more motivated your players will be
as a result of the greatest soccer
tour experience of their lives. They cannot help but grow
as players by competing against foreign opposition, visiting
the world's top professional soccer grounds and by rubbing
shoulders with some of the top British youth players who will
be the superstars of tomorrow!
This is a unique opportunity to do something spectacular for
the players and parents who you spend so much of your time
with. Not only will you help them enjoy the soccer trip of
a lifetime, but you will also create memories for them that
will last for the rest of their lives.
 All
players love tournaments – the games are thrilling,
the players are more motivated and the excitement is contagious.
Challenger World Tours can help your team participate in
a truly international soccer tournament hosted on foreign
soil, competing against teams from all over the world.
Each event is professionally managed and runs for 5-6 days
offering at least one game per day against foreign opposition.
Around each of these events we also offer ample opportunities
for professional training sessions, stadium tours, watching
live professional soccer matches and sightseeing throughout
Great Britain and Ireland. Your soccer tour (LINK TO TOURNAMENTS
PAGE) can be custom created around one or more of the following
international tournaments:
The Wales International Soccer Tournament (formerly
the Ian Rush Soccer Tournament) is aimed at top-level
club and high school teams. It is based in the seaside
resort town of Aberystwyth, Wales on the beautiful shores
of Cardigan Bay. This great soccer event takes place over
six days and players and coaches have the opportunity
to rub shoulders with some of soccer’s big time
international teams.
In the past, this tournament has welcomed teams such as
Glasgow Celtic, Liverpool FC, Dinamo Kiev, FC Austria,
Tahuichi Bolivia, Sao Paulo, Sparta Prague and Glasgow
Rangers. All competition takes place on spectacular fields
unequalled anywhere in Great Britain. During the tournament,
Welsh FA certified coaches are available to undertake
extra coaching sessions with your team.
Participate in the Umbro International Cup where
over 400 teams and 8000 players are represented from over
20 different nations each year. No other tournament offers
such unique opportunities. This truly international tournament
is aimed at top-level club or high school teams. It is
located in the soccer hotbed of Manchester and takes place
on 24 magnificent fields all in one location, with each
team being guaranteed a minimum of 5 games. This is the
same venue as used for the highly acclaimed 2002 Commonwealth
Games.
The tour will also feature a truly fantastic day out with
the professional football clubs of Manchester, and includes
a fully-guided tour of Manchester United’s ‘Theatre
of Dreams,’ followed by a coaching session performed
by the professional coaching staff of Manchester City
F.C.
The Arsenal International Soccer Festival is commencing
its 16th year of competition. It is located in Royal Holloway
and New Bedford College and is situated in the picturesque
Surrey countryside. Just a few miles from Windsor Castle,
one of the Queens official residencies, which is open
and accessible by the public. Central London is 40 minutes
away by train. Theme parks including Legoland, Thorpe
Park and Chessington World of Adventure, as well as other
places of interest such as Hampton Court Palace, Stratford,
Warwick Castle, Bath, Cotswolds and Stonehenge, are all
within easy reach of the college. A visit to Highbury
Stadium home of the Arsenal Football Club will also be
arranged.
 This
itinerary is aimed at high level teams who want to compete
against some of Scotland’s best professional youth,
select and local club teams. In this itinerary you will
visit Scotland and take in the St. Andrews International
Football Festival located in St. Andrews, Scotland, which
is close to Edinburgh. The tournament is broken into two
brackets the ‘Club Level’ aimed at good teams
who are looking for international competition and then
the ‘Elite Level’ which is aimed at professional
club teams and teams who want to compete against the best
of the best. The St. Andrews International Football Festival
is located in beautiful St. Andrews, Scotland, famous
for its golf and in particular “The Old Course,”
and is a great location for a tournament. This event attracts
many professional teams and local club teams throughout
England and Scotland with a professional development league
available as well.
In the past this tournament has welcomed teams such as
Glasgow Rangers F.C., Dundee F.C., Manchester United F.C.,
Tranmere Rovers F.C., Stockport County F.C., St. Johnstone
F.C., Dunfermline F.C., Dundee United F.C., Brechin City
F.C., Albion Rovers F.C., Clyde F.C., Raith Rovers F.C.,
and Cardiff City F.C. All competition takes place on spectacular
fields located within walking distance to the famous St.
Andrews University which will be your accommodation during
your stay in the St. Andrew area. In addition to the tournament,
you will get to experience the tradition, heritage and
beauty of Scotland along with a day spent with one of
Scotland’s giant professional football clubs; Glasgow
Rangers F.C., Glasgow Celtic F.C. or Hearts F.C.
The Galway International Soccer Festival is a new and
exciting event held in the west of Ireland at a splendid
new soccer facility developed by the Salthill Devon Football
Club. The tournament is hosted by the same organization
which offers such events as the Wales International Tournament
(formerly called the Ian Rush Tournament) hosted in Aberystwyth
in Wales, and the St. Andrews International Festival hosted
just outside of Edinburgh in Scotland. This brand new
event will attract teams from all over Ireland and Great
Britain to this most beautiful part of Ireland.
In conjunction with our friends from “down under,”
Challenger World Tours has teamed up with ‘Southern
Horizons’ the leaders in Australian Sports Travel
to offer the trip of a lifetime. Take the time to travel
to the Pacific International Soccer Tournament hosted
in Brisbane (Gold Coast) before heading off to Cairns
to explore the Great Barrier Reef.
On the Gold Coast you will compete in the Pacific International
Challenge Soccer Tournament, take time to explore the
Gold Coast and relax on the beach, learn how to surf and
get very close to kangaroos and koalas!
Select a Tour Itinerary from the list below:
 The
Elite Tour is the pinnacle of the Challenger World Tours
program and is designed for the very best boys and girls
teams from the United States aiming towards Olympic development
programs and state championship level teams. It is focused
on offering a highly competitive playing environment for
talented and serious players and will allow your team to
test themselves against the youth teams of some of the top
clubs in the United Kingdom.
Teams on the Elite Tour will spend the first three days
in the capital city of London playing a game against top
local opposition and visiting one of the incredible soccer
stadiums in the area and sightseeing one of the world’s
most visited cities.
The team will then travel to the Northwest of England where
they will enjoy an incredible soccer packed schedule of:
- Training at a professional club
- Playing games against the area’s top youth teams
- Visiting the “Theatre of Dreams” –
home of Manchester United
- Watching professional games
Challenger World Tours Elite tour team’s have had
the opportunity to compete against: Manchester United F.C.,
Liverpool F.C., Everton F.C., Bolton Wanderers F.C., Manchester
City F.C., Tranmere Rovers F.C., Blackpool F.C., Preston
North End F.C., Crystal Palace F.C., Queens Park Rangers
F.C., Leicester City F.C., Stoke City F.C., Wimbledon F.C.,
Charlton Athletic F.C. and Wigan Athletic F.C., as well
as representative sides from the English and Welsh Schoolboys
Football Association’s.
Click here to download the Elite Tours itinerary. (elitetoursitinerary.pdf)
The Club Team Tour is aimed at competitive boys and girls
teams from throughout the United States. It offers teams
and players who do not want to be restricted by the dates
and format of a tournament tour to travel over to Great
Britain to compete and train with professional teams, area
representative teams, school teams and local club teams.
Games and training sessions will be scheduled throughout
giving a great balance between the soccer aspects and the
very important and educational and cultural aspects of such
a tour opportunity.
Teams will have the opportunity to compete against foreign
opposition, train alongside future professional players,
tour stadiums that have been in existence for over 100 years
and watch live professional matches. The group can spend
at least 3 days in London, 6 days in the 2,000-year-old
Roman town of Chester, and travel to such historical places
as Manchester, Liverpool, North Wales (including the mountain
range of Snowdonia) and Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace
of William Shakespeare.
Click here to download
the Club Team Tours itinerary.
 Challenger
World Tours has teamed up with the world famous Bobby Charlton
Soccer Schools to offer a wonderful soccer opportunity to
all male and female soccer players between ages 10 and 18.
This amazing tour will allow you to train alongside British
players at the same school that the ex-Manchester United
and present England Captain and Real Madrid player David
Beckham attended when he was a young boy.
This once in a life time opportunity will combine training
at a world class soccer school, along with playing games
against top English youth teams, visiting the ‘Theatre
of Dreams,’ the home of Manchester United Football
Club, and visiting the National Soccer Museum.
The Bobby Charlton Soccer School utilizes a unique Soccer
Theme Park concept, which has been developed over the past
eight years. Players will receive 6 hours of coaching each
day and will train alongside other young players from all
over the world. Each evening the players will take part
in small sided games tournaments. In addition each player
will take part in the BCSS skills test and can measure their
scores against the record setting score that David Beckham
achieved in this camp at age 11.
This is the ultimate gift for any boy or girl who loves
soccer! Parents are welcome and will have the opportunity
to both watch their children in action and also visit local
landmarks and historic sites.
Click here
to download the Individual Player Tours itinerary.
If your team or organization would like to find out more
about Challenger's exciting British Soccer Tour program
and custom-designed travel packages,
contact Andy
Bennett. 800-739-9441
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