After a brilliant campaign, Mason Terry and West Ham United U19s are heading to India to compete in the 2023 Premier League Next Generation Cup.
The 18-year-old goalkeeper has been instrumental in helping Kevin Keen’s U18 side clinch the FA Youth Cup and the U18 Premier League South Division this season, but now the Canvey Island native is looking forward to the experience of visiting a different part of the world.
The ten-day tournament in Mumbai will begin on Wednesday 17 May and end with the final on Friday 26 May and will see the Irons joined by Premier League Academy sides from Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as South African Premier Soccer League side Stellenbosch, who were crowned winners of the Midlands section of the competition in 2022.
Four Indian sides will also compete in the tournament, with Sudeva Delhi FC, ATK Mohun Bagan FC, Reliance Foundation Young Champs & Bengaluru FC emerging from the Reliance Foundation Development League; a rigorous qualifying campaign that saw over 300 matches take place in nine regions of the country.
Terry is excited to be heading out to the tournament, and believes it’s a perfect way to end what has been a successful season.
“I’m very excited,” Terry told whufc.com. “We know that it is a great opportunity, and it will be a great experience to play Indian teams and also the South African team that is in our group.
“I always enjoy playing different teams when we go away on tour, but we usually only go as far as Europe, so to be able to go out to Asia and see India will be a fantastic experience.
“It’s been an unbelievable season for us, so to be able to head abroad and experience the culture out in India, as well as play teams that we are not used to playing, will be a great opportunity for everyone. I’m sure we are all going to enjoy it and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Heat will be a huge factor whilst in Mumbai, with the area experiencing daily average temperatures of over 33 degrees Celsius. Matches will be played in the evening, and will also be shorted to 35 minute halves rather than the traditional 45 minutes to make things easier for those out on the pitch.
Terry believes that the weather conditions will certainly be a factor, but that it is just another thing that the team will need to embrace and overcome when heading out to a different part of the world.
“Our games are in the evening which should help but obviously we are not used to the climate that we will be experiencing out there. I don’t underestimate that it will be difficult playing in that sort of weather but hopefully it will be something that we embrace and enjoy while we are out there.
“I think we have games every other day, so it will be full on. Hopefully we will do well in our group and make it to the final.”
The Hammers will be away for 12 days, and Terry is relishing the opportunity of spending such a long time away together with his teammates.
The shot-stopper is also looking forward to working with Lauris Coggin, Lead Phase coach at the Academy of Football, who Terry previously worked with at a younger age group.
“It isn’t an experience that we would usually get to do and so it is a really special tour to me and the lads. With the amazing season that we have had, it will be great to go out there and really enjoy the different culture.
"We have some cultural activities that we will be doing as a group and so we will also get the chance to explore India and try lots of new foods – I’m really looking forward to that aspect of the trip too.
“I know I say it all of the time but I love to play different teams. We know that Wolves and Everton will be out in India too, but I’m especially looking forward to playing those Indian and South African teams that we haven’t had the chance to play before.
“I’ve played under Lauris when I was with the U15s and U16s. He’s a great guy, a great coach, and it will be nice to have him working with us for this trip.”
For more information on the 2023 Premier League Next Generation Cup, click here!
