7 Elite Academy has already been inundated with interest about next year's 7EA Tournament – including five teams from outside the United States.

This year's competition, which ended last weekend, saw 100 teams from across Utah and the western United States take part – the biggest in the organization's history.

That level of interest also saw a number national and local sponsors lend their support, including Pizza Hut, Costco, Walmart and Buffalo Wild Wings.

The 2020 competition is set to include a number of teams from the United Kingdom, as 7 Elite Academy continues to expand beyond its traditional Utah borders.

Wayne Scholes, Chief Executive at 7 Elite Academy, said: “There is a long-term plan in place for 7EA, as we look to take our unique coaching methods to more young people.

“That expansion mean we will be inviting more international teams to our events. Next year's tournament will have teams from outside the United States and in particular the United Kingdom.

“This year's competition was our biggest yet and featured teams from Nevada, California, Idaho and Wyoming. The natural progression for us is to expand that reach much further.

“As soon as this year's tournament finished we had lots of teams calling up, asking about next year's event. It was remarkable to see so much interest, so early.”

The 2020 7 Elite Academy Tournament is yet to receive confirmed dates, although it is expected to again take place towards the end of January.

Anthony Godfrey, Global Technical Director at 7 Elite Academy, is looking forward to seeing next year's competition take on a more international flavour.

He said: “This year's tournament was the result of a massively impressive effort from everyone who took part, from 7EA staff to the coaches, officials, parents and of course the players.

“That level of elite competition and organization has attracted interest from clubs across the world.

“The challenge for those clubs is to now begin a fundraising programme to enable them to travel over to Utah next January. We will give them every possible assistance in making that happen.

“It is essential to our expansion plans that we encourage teams who can bring a different style of play and training to every single event.”

Nick Nield, Tournament Director at 7 Elite Academy, led a team of highly-skilled staff in organizing the 2019 competition and is already looking forward to next year's games.

He added: “The planning process for the 2020 7 Elite Academy Tournament starts now. The staff I work with are all keen to get started with the preparations.

“This is a year-long process that culminates in a fantastic celebration of youth soccer. I am determined to make sure next year will be bigger and better.

“It was great to receive so much interest, just days after the 2019 event had finished. The addition of several international teams will give every game a unique flavour.”