For the new crop of West Ham United U18s, their first challenge of 2023/24 took them to Prague to compete in a U19 competition - the CEE Cup.
Plenty of West Ham’s ‘U19s’ – by age - will be playing with the U21s this season and were part of the tour of Spain to prepare for the Premier League 2 season rather than travelling to the Czech Republic.
And, as such, a group of mostly 16 and 17-year-olds battled well against their more experienced counterparts to prepare for their upcoming U18 season.
And while the young side fell to defeats to eventual champions Palmeiras and Sparta Prague, before a draw against Al-Ain, the fixtures were competitive, with the young group taking plenty from the experience of playing against sides from across the globe.
According to Academy Manager Kenny Brown, who was part of the staff to travel to Prague, the tour offered the young hammers plenty of lessons to take on their return to east London and gave them a great chance to test and develop their respective games.
“The boys conducted themselves as you would expect from a West Ham team, on and off the field," explained Brown, "and it gave the players and staff a great experience of touring, staying together, and dealing with challenges you would not necessarily face in the UK.
“Like every pre-season, you are preparing the squad for the challenges that lie ahead in a competitive U18 campaign and this tournament gave us the opportunity to play against much older sides and more experienced players. The six-week pre-season is all about team bonding, improving fitness levels and individual as well as team performances.
“This tournament in the Czech Republic has given them an insight into the potential challenges they may have to face this coming season and will give everyone that incentive to carry on the good work when they get back to Chadwell Heath and prepare for our league opener.”
The U18s will play their final pre-season fixture away to Derby County on Saturday 5 August, before their Premier League South opener away to Arsenal a week later.
