A team of Under-19 players from AFC Liverpool with fly out to the United States in February to compete in two of the biggest youth football tournaments in the country.

The youngsters are part of 7 Elite Academy’s Player Pathway programme, which creates regular opportunities for players to travel abroad to play football and meet with college scholarship recruiters.

They will compete in the 7 Elite Academy International Tournament in Utah on February 6-9, before travelling to Nevada to take part in the Las Vegas Mayors Cup International Showcase.

The players will be part of a travelling contingent of clubs from across Europe, with a team of Under-14s and Under-15s from 7 Elite Academy UK already announced.

Anthony Godfrey, 7 Elite Academy Director, said: “I’ve worked with many of these AFC Liverpool players over the years in the UK and they are fantastic group of young people.

“From playing in the FA Youth Cup against the likes of Wrexham and Oldham to winning the tournament in 2024, every one of these players has great potential within the game.

“This trip will be an chance for them to not only play at the 7 Elite Academy International Tournament, but also the Las Vegas Mayors Cup International Showcase a few days later.

“A number of players who travelled to the 2024 tournament gained college scholarships and pro academy contracts and I am confident we’ll see even more opportunities created in 2025.”

A new agreement with the Las Vegas Mayors Cup International Showcase is offering free hotel accommodation and entry fees to overseas teams for the 2025 tournament.

As a result, the event will expand to include the most international players in its history, as well as out of state teams, college coaches and pro academy recruiters from across the United States.

Nick Nield, 7 Elite Academy International Tournament Director, added: “It is so exciting that we have yet another overseas team travelling to our tournament in 2025.

“We saw how exciting the AFC Liverpool team was when they won the tournament in 2024 and I know the players here in Southern Utah will be raring to win back the trophy in February.

“It is a great, productive rivalry that creates highly competitive games and helps players to sample the kind of atmosphere they’ll face in college or professional academies.

“The fact that there’s even more interest in this event from international teams will add an extra spark to every single game and attract even more recruiters and college scouts.”