Academy

Youngsters face top sides in US

VfL Women U15s took on teams from across the globe at the Nike Premier Cup in Oregon.

VfL Wolfsburg Women U15s have just returned from a memorable adventure in the USA. Sixteen players and four staff members recently made the trip to Beaverton to take on top youth sides from across the globe at the Nike Premier Cup. The young She-Wolves, who were taking part for the second year in a row, were one of 12 teams invited by VfL partner Nike to compete at the tournament in Oregon, where the company is based.

Twelve teams involved

Chelsea FC and Inter Milan were just two of several internationally renowned clubs taking part in the competition, which also included all-star teams from South Korea and Mexico. The VfL youngsters, still suffering from jetlag, played their first game just two days after their arrival, losing 3-0 to Brazilian side Ferroviaria at the 25,000-capacity Providence Park in Portland.

“Enormous improvement” across the board

That was followed by a 5-0 defeat to US outfit San Diego Surf, who were physically superior to the VfL girls. After rounding off their group campaign with a narrow 1-0 loss against the eventual tournament winners, South Korean team KFA Queens, the Green-and-Whites beat Swedish side Bromma Girls 2-1 before defeating Canadian outfit Calgary Foothills 5-4 on penalties in an end-of-tournament friendly. “Compared to last year, we’ve improved enormously in all areas and represented VfL well with a very young team,” said Daniel Kraus, sporting director of VfL Women’s youth teams. “The players and coaches were also able to learn valuable lessons as far as their day-to-day work is concerned.”
 

Nike keen to promote women’s sport

It proved to be a valuable experience off the pitch, too. The VfL coaching team took part in an event focusing on the importance of women’s sport, which was organised by Nike. VfL’s partner company also invited a number of famous guests, including Nike CEO Elliott Hill, former track and field athlete Carl Lewis and ex-soccer player Shannon Boxx. “The idea behind the summit was to further promote women’s sport and talk about what it takes to do so,” continued Kraus. “It was a great event. When you’re with Nike, you realise how much they support women’s football.”

VfL hoping to return

There was also plenty of time for the 16 players to explore the area and enjoy some shopping. As well as visiting the city of Portland, eating at a diner and attending a Portland Thorns FC match, the girls also used the tournament as an opportunity to chat to other young footballers from different continents. Four of the VfL youngsters were involved last year, but this was a new experience for the rest of the She-Wolves squad. “It was another really cool tournament, and I hope we’ll have the opportunity to return there again next year,” said Kraus.

The following 12 teams took part in the tournament: Chelsea FC (England), Football Victoria (Australia), Calgary Foothills (Canada), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Ferroviaria (Brazil), San Diego Surf (USA), KFA Queens (South Korea), Inter Milan (Italy), Liga BBVA MX Femenil (Mexico), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Bromma Girls (Sweden), VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)