How to choose an international youth football tournament for your academy

An international tournament is one of the biggest investments an academy makes in a season: months of planning, the families' money and the players' time. The right event pushes the squad and shows the players what the next level looks like. The wrong one is a long journey for lopsided scores. These are the questions we ask, in the order we ask them.

Level matters more than the name of the event or the destination. Ask the organiser which teams played last year in your age group, how the groups are seeded and whether entry is open or by invitation. Compare that with the leagues your squad plays in at home.

A useful rule: you want to win some matches and lose some. If you expect to win all of them, or lose all of them, look elsewhere.

Check the age cut-off date (most tournaments use the calendar year of birth, but not all), the format (7v7, 9v9 or 11v11), the pitch size and the length of a match. Ask how many players may be registered and whether over-age players are allowed. For the youngest age groups, find out whether results and tables are kept at all: some events play festival formats without standings.

The number of guaranteed matches is one of the most useful figures in any tournament pack. Two group games and an early exit is a poor return on a long journey. Ask whether placement matches are played after the knockout rounds, so that every team plays until the last day, and how long the breaks between matches are.

Packages differ widely. Some include accommodation, meals and local transport; others charge only an entry fee. Ask for an itemised quote and check:

• whether the entry fee is per team or per player;
• the type of accommodation and its distance from the pitches;
• meals, especially on match days;
• transfers between the airport, the hotel and the pitches;
• insurance and medical cover at the venue.

Check the dates against school holidays and your league calendar, the travel time door to door, and how far the hotel is from the pitches. Think about heat as well: a summer tournament in southern Europe can mean matches in the middle of a hot day, so look at kick-off times and the shade around the pitches.

For older age groups, the quality of the opposition is what attracts scouts and coaches from other clubs. Organisers can tell you which academies have already confirmed. Be wary of promises of trials or contracts: no tournament can guarantee them.

We review your academy once, then propose only the closed tournaments whose level, age groups and dates fit your squads, and we handle the entry and the logistics with the organiser. Nothing is booked until you have agreed the event and the costs in writing.