Malawi’s Ascent Soccer Academy Under-16 boys team will compete in Reykajvik, Iceland and will have a chance to defend the Rey Cup youth football tournament they won last year.
Ascent Academy founder George Maguire said the girls team has also joined the boys to compete
“While the boys team will be fighting for title defence against top European youth teams, the girls should as well be gaining international experience,” he said.
Last year, the boys team beat hosts Pottur 1-0 in the final after booting out League One side Fleetwood Town 3-0 in the semi-finals.
“Last year, we were very proud of how our boys performed when they won the 2023 Rey Cup. For our girls, this European tour will give them an opportunity o interact with other players,” he said.
According to the fixtures, Ascent Under-16 girls will play against top Icelandic side Throttur FC, Danish champions FC Nordsjaelland and England’s Arsenal FC.
“This will be an incredible experience for the very youthful Ascent girls, who will trot out a roster with an average age of just 14.5 years,” said Maguire.
The boys team will start their title-defence on Thursday morning when they will face hosts Throttur before taking on another Iceland team Íþróttabandalag Akraness in the afternoon. On Friday, they will play Iceland outfit Austrulund at noon.
On the other hand, the girls team will face Throttur Ladies on Thursday at noon and Denmark’s Nordsjaelland in the afternoon. On Friday, they will entertain Arsenal FC from England.
One of the girls players, Leticia Chinyamula, said she was excited to be on the tour.
“It really feels like a dream-come-true to have an opportunity to play football in Europe. I am very happy to be part of this trip,” she said.
