In 2004 the world will see the unveiling of a new annual international football event designed for elite boys teams 14-19 known as the Riba – Oeste International Junior Football Festival (June 18 – June 27, 2004). This event will take place in the beautiful hospitable regions of the Oeste and Ribatejo in Portugal which will also be the host country of Euro 2004. The festival will be officially hosted by the football governing body of the Associacao de Futebol de Santarem.
The Riba-Oeste Festival will feature 20 teams in each age bracket with 10 from North America and 10 from Europe in each, making it the largest youth festival of its kind in Portugal. It will be held from June 18-27 in 10 different cities with the Rio Maior National Training Center as the headquarters and site of the finals for each age bracket that will be played at its 8,000-seat stadium.
"This annual event will greatly enhance the experience of Super Y-League clubs and players by exposing them to European/International teams and technical staffs of leading European clubs and we are excited for the 2004 launch," said USL President Francisco Marcos, who is a partner of FMIB Ltd.
"Experiences playing and traveling abroad are essential for the development of North American players and this is another opportunity provided through USL that will aid in that aspect."
United Soccer Leagues last trip to Portugal was a Select Team tour in which players from the A-League, Pro Select League and Premier Development League played five matches against Portuguese clubs and the Portugal U20 National Team at Rio Maior National Training Center, which has also played host to several Major League Soccer teams and the US U23 (Olympic) National Team, which is currently touring Portugal.
"It is an honor to welcome North Americans to my homeland and 2004 will be even more special with Euro 2004 taking place at the same time. Nine of the 10 venues for Euro 2004 will be within a three hour drive of where the festival's clubs will be staying, providing them with the opportunity to watch world class professional soccer as well playing world class youth soccer."
The UEFA Cup, the most important international soccer competition in Europe and second only to the FIFA World Cup in importance on the international soccer calendar, is in Portugal for the first time in 2004. During Euro 2004, 16 National Teams including host Portugal will battle it out for European supremacy from June 12 – July 4, 2004, concurrently with the Riba – Oeste Festival. France won the UEFA Cup in the 2000 edition of the tournament, which takes place every four years.
Other cities slated to play host to Cup Oeste are Torres Vedras, Lourinha, Santarem, Peniche, Caldas, Da Rainha. Each feature a 5,000-plus seat stadium that games will be played at.
The festival will also include a unique feature in an all-star game in which the best players in each group will be selected to play in a North America versus Europe match.
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