From 10 to 12 April 2023, we had the honour of hosting, at our academy's modern facilities, part of the 9th international football academy tournament 'Vikos Cola Elite Neon Cup 2023'. KICKS Academy's facilities were selected, together with three other sports venues in Attica, to host this event.
From 10 to 12 April 2023, we had the honour of hosting, at our academy's modern facilities, part of the 9th international football academy tournament 'Vikos Cola Elite Neon Cup 2023'. KICKS Academy's facilities were selected, together with three other sports venues in Attica, to host this event.
The tournament was organized by 'YellowFields - all about sports' and was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Tourism and the Region of Attica.
The 'Elite Neon Cup' is an institution in the development and progress of football academies in Greece, holding the leading position in academy tournament organization nationwide and having highlighted important players with international careers. It is an established and highly successful international football academy tournament, aiming to strengthen the sporting spirit in youth infrastructure while supporting the development of young footballers. At the same time, it demonstrates its social character by contributing to the promotion of hospitality and Greek culture.
This year, the tournament was completed with the participation of 64 teams from 19 different countries worldwide, including Greece, in the U14 and U16 age categories.
The U16 teams that participated were: AEK, AE Larissa, Aberdeen, APOEL, Aris, Aris Limassol, Valerenga, Red Star, Maccabi Haifa, Bayern Munich, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Panionios, PAOK, Pafos, Vitesse and others.
In the U14 category, the following football academies were present: AEK, America Mineiro, APOEL, Aris Limassol, Juventus, Copenhagen, Burton, Brommapojkarna, Olympiacos, OFI, Panathinaikos, PAOK, Pafos and others.
What was said about our pitches: Gazzetta.gr: 'The brand-new Kicks Academy pitches in Spata are especially impressive and gave another dimension to the U16 finals. It goes without saying that good pitches create excellent athletes, while poor ones bury talent. It is very important that the new, state-of-the-art facilities connected their debut with this event.'
Watch footage from the teams' matches at our facilities:
