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Former Liverpool, Aston Villa and England defender Stephen Warnock will a special guest at the 7 Elite Academy Tournament this week.

Warnock, who was part of the England squad at the 2010 World Cup, will be at the record-breaking event in Saint George and Mesquite.

The UEFA Super Cup winner will hand out medals at the Pre-Academy Jamboree for younger players and attend award ceremonies for other age brackets.

Over 265 teams have registered to take part in the competition from Thursday to Saturday, making it one of the fastest-growing youth soccer competitions in the region.

There will also be international referees from the UK taking charge of games, as well as the best officials from across the United States.

And Warnock is keen to join the action: “It has been fantastic to watch the 7 Elite Academy Tournament expand into such a huge event over the last five years.

“The quality of soccer at the tournament continues to improve and that is reflected in the huge increase of teams taking part.

“This is an opportunity to spend time with dedicated players, coaches and their families, and see how they perform in such a competitive environment.

“I have attended junior soccer events across the world and the 7 Elite Academy International Tournament is right up there with the very best.”

7 Elite Academy will be staging social media takeovers with Stephen throughout the event, which will take place at major venues across the two cities.

All competing teams are invited to meet Stephen, who will be happy to answer questions and sign autographs.

Nick Nield, Tournament Director, said: “It will be great to have someone of Stephen’s caliber, who has won major honors in European soccer, at the tournament.

“We have designed the tournament brackets to ensure teams are evenly matched, with intense competition at every level.

“Alongside the games themselves, we will have entertainment throughout all three days, as well as food options and even international DJs.

“We have broken records every year we’ve held this tournament and I want to see every single team leave with lifelong memories of the 2022 event.”