UEFA Set to Showcase Stars of the Future in Champions League Style Tournament

UEFA have set up a new tournament competition dubbed NextGen that will see the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool and Inter Milan youth players go head to head to compete for the new elite trophy at Under-19 level.

The Champions League-style tournament is set to be implemented next season. It will incorporate the best youth academies into what European football’s governing body hope will become a prestigious and challenging competition for youngsters at that level.

The FA Youth Cup is the most coveted trophy at Under-18 level in England for the time being, but NextGen is expected to take precedence as it gives young players the chance to ply their craft against the best around Europe. It is expected to improve player experience in big tournaments whilst also helping youngsters make the step up to the first team after playing such high quality opposition.

FA Youth Cup champions Manchester United, along with Chelsea and Arsenal, are all set to join the scheme in the 2012-13 season.

Four English Premier League clubs have been selected by UEFA to compete in the inaugural campaign this upcoming season – Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Every other league has only one club invited, except Norway, who have two clubs involved due to the excellent youth facilities at the Rosenborg BK and Molde FK academies.

Barcelona’s La Masia are set to be involved in the tournament and have been drawn in the group stage alongside Manchester City. Celtic of Scotland have also been selected, and surprisingly Ajax youth have missed out to rivals PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch selection.

Ajax, however, are set to join the tournament in the 2012-13 season along with Manchester United.

There is set to be four groups consisting of 16 clubs in which the top two teams in the group stage will go through to a knockout stage, reminiscent to the Champions League. Fixtures and TV rights have still not been finalised as yet, as there is still one club to be drafted into the competition.

This tournament has been welcomed by clubs across Europe as it is great opportunity to bridge the gap between youth players and the first team. The NextGen series will give young players invaluable tournament experience and will help them to develop their footballing potential by playing high pressure games at the very highest level for their age group.

It is expected that the NextGen competition will not generate a lot of public interest in its first term, but the inclusion of Manchester United, Arsenal and Ajax in the second campaign could help boost its prestige in European football.

Barcelona’s youth are set to be one of the attractions for the tournament, and the quality of football throughout the clubs will help the progression of the tournament on a global scale with unconfirmed reports suggesting that the showpiece final will be played in Abu Dhabi.

The progression of the tournament will only get better and better over the years and could become a big competition in the future, specifically at Under-19 level. But best of all, it gives us the opportunity to see the best young talent in world football.

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