This Friday will mark the start of the annual tournament “Ateitis CUP”, which will be held for 8 weekends. This year again, the tournament, will be full of big name teams along the lines of Turino “Juventus”, Dortmund “Borussia”, “Liverpool”, Bergamo “Atalanta” and other well known academies. A new record of participants will be reached.

“For the first time in the tournaments history, because of the growth in participants, we will be forced to have some of the matches be played outside of Vilnius. Of course, this type of growth only makes us smile, but it shows we still have a long road ahead of us”,- the founder and organiser ,Dainius Gudaitis.

The first age groups to participate will be the U8 and U6. Only Lithuanian teams will participate in the six year old tournament, but the eight year old groups will have teams like “Juventus” , “Lugano”, as well as other known teams from Russia, Latvia, Estonia and Belarus

“Ateitis CUP” just a couple of years ago became the biggest Baltic country tournament and it only continues to grow. This year in the stadium “Sportima” all games will be broadcasted live to youtube, in the stadium itself, a giant screen will be hang up to rewatch moments and past tournament highlights. Currently we expect around 10,000 visitors (players, parents and their coaches included) from around the world to visit Lithuania for the tournament.

Pirmąjį balandžio savaitgalį baigėsi “Ateitis CUP 2018. Spring” turnyrų sesija, kurios paskutinėje dalyje varžėsi 2010, 2011 ir 2012 metų gimimo auklėtiniai. Per tris dienas buvo sužaistos 83 rungtynės, per kurias buvo sumušti beveik 500 įvarčių.

 

 

 

“Paskutinis turnyras, tarsi, desertas. Sužaidėme ir iškart mintimis keliamės į rudens turnyrų sesiją, kurioje laukiame naujo rekordo. Kadangi pernai sunkiai tilpome, tai šiemet savaitgalių skaičių ištęsime iki aštuonių”, – kalbėjo pagrindinis organizatorius Dainius Gudaitis.

 

Tarp 2010 – ųjų gimimo berniukų turnyre nepralenkiamas buvo Minsko “Dinamo” klubas. Į finalą prasibrovė dvi pastarojo klubo komandos, o pirmoji triumfavo 5:0. Trečiąją vietą užėmė Vilniaus “Audra”.

 

 

2011 – ųjų metų gimimo finale intrigos nebuvo. Įspūdingą žaidimą demonstravusi Kaliningrado “Otkrytje” komanda 9:2 nepaliko šansų Vilniaus “Ateičiai”.

 

 

Tarp pačių mažiausiųjų finale kovos buvo daugiausiai, o nugalėtojais tapo Sankt Peterburgo “Azbuka Sporta” jaunieji futbolininkai. Finale Rusijos ekipa 3:2 įveikė Vilniaus “Audrą”, su kuria grupės varžybose itin atkakliai kovojo ir Šarūno Beivydo treniruoajama “Ateitis”. Pastaroji turnyre liko trečia.

 

 

The biggest tournament in the Baltic countries which pull even elites team academies to participate. However this time more than just footballers came to watch the games in the capital of Lithuania, Vilnius.

Ilya Kovalchuk and Sergei Kiriakov. The first one – a world class hockey player; The second one – a renown footballer who has played in bundesliga, for “Hamburger SV” , two decades ago.

Both of these Russian stars have their son playing in U9 Zenit academy, who were travel all the way to the final, yet sadly lose to Torino “Juventus”.

“When I have the opportunity, I will always go with the kids to matches. The older one choose football and the younger one picked hockey. Vilnius is important to me, its the hometown of my wife Nicole.I’m happy i was able to escape for this tournament, the teams here are amazing”- words from Kovalchuk before the final.

The grand final of nine year olds was intense and fought to the last minute. Zenit were leading 5-4, however Juventus scored 2 goals to become the champions.

 

 

 

The fight for 3rd place was less fierce but still a great game. Minsk “Smena” won 4-0 against “Wigry”. The best Lithuanian team was Kaunas “Tauras” who ended sixth place.

 

At the same time the eleven year olds were battling for glory. They were also won by Juventus 2:0 in the final against Minsk “Dinamo”. The battle for 3rd spot was taken by FC “Minsk” against the Lithuanian side “Gelezinis vilkas”. Still no matter the defeat, their goalkeeper was recognized the best of the tournament.

“Ateitis CUP 2018 Spring” is coming to an end with only one tournament remaining. However teams have already shown interest in participating in the upcoming tournaments with elite academies from England, Italy, Germany and more.

Last weekend in the indoor arena “Sportima” the famous tournament “Ateitis CUP” was being played by footballers born at 2006 and 2008.
One of the age groups had drama from start to finish while the other was bested by Bergamo “Atalanta”.

Nobody was on par with the Italians, letting them easily win all of their games including the final in which “Atalanta” won 9:3 against the Polish “Brychczy”.

“ It was sad to let such a chance slip away”,- said Deivis Kančelskis, the coach of “Šiauliai” after their last group match. His side was leading 3:1 against Naujoji Vilnia “Granitas” , however in the end they lost 3:4. Even a draw would have been enough to put “Šiauliai” in the final.

Although in the battle for third place, “Šiauliai” bested Vilnius “Vytis” 1:0, who were unfortunate and missed their opportunity to be between the winners of “Ateitis CUP” for the first time.

In the 12 year old groups from the first days the favourite was “Manchester City” who played one of the more thrilling games of the tournament against Kharkov “Metalist”.

While on their way to the final Minsk “Dinamo” faced Madrid’s “Moratalaz” academy. After an intense game “Dinamo” won 1:0.

The battle for third place was won by “Metalist” by penalty shootout. The final was also left undecided after the main time. “Dinamo” Minsk had the fortune on their side and won the shootout against the favourite “Manchester City”.

At the same time at two different stadiums the games of U-15 and U-17 were being played. Between the fifteen year olds, team Kyiv “Dinamo” were victorious. In the final they defeated their opponents “Liepaja”. Third spot was taken by Borisov “Bate” .

In the elder groups team Kaliningrad “SDJUSSHOR” were the undefeated champions. Second place was taken by “Ateitis”  and third was for Saint Petersburg “Brigantina”.

“Dinamo” Kyiv U-14 made a real party in the annual tournament Ateitis CUP by winning all their games and becoming the tournament winners. The Ukrainian champions were not even stopped by FC “Torino” in the semifinal or Tallinn “Kalev” in the grand final.

From the first days two teams stood out from the twelve – Kyiv “Dinamo” and FC “Torino”. The clash of these two teams in the semifinal was considered and called the “real” final.

“One must not be too hasty in one’s rejoicing. Last year we were also considered favourite but we lost on penalties in the semifinal and were unable to compete further on for the trophy”. – spoke the Italian academies coaches after their group victory.

The showdown between “Torino” and “Dinamo” became the grand show of the tournament. Neither of the sides were willing to give up and fought to the very last minutes. “Dinamo” were able to score twice and later on “Torino” scored one, but it was too little too late.

In the other semifinal it was Tallinn “Kalev” facing Lithuanian national football academy. “Kalev” walking through the tournament with small results, used one of their few chances to score and win, earning them a spot in the final.

 

The battle for the third spot wasn’t much of a battle as NFA didn’t stand much of a chance against “Torino” and lost 3:0. Final was similar with “Dinamo” scoring 3 against “Kalev”.

The final tournament standings:

1.  „Dinamo“ Kyiv (Ukraine)
2.  „Kalev“ Tallinn (Estonia)
3. FC „Torino“ (Italy)
4. NFA (Lithuania)
5.  „Arsenal“ Kyiv (Ukraine)
6. FK „Minsk“ (Belarus)
7.  „Flora“ Tallinn (Estonia)
8.  „Krumkachy“ Minsk (Belarus)
9.  „Dynamo“ Brest(Belarus)
10.  „Arsenal B“  Kyiv (Ukraine)
11. SK „Babite“ (Latvia)
12. „Ateitis“/ Vilniaus FM (Lithuania)

 

The best players of the tournament:

Just barely after one and a half months after the end of “Ateitis CUP 2017″ season, the tournament organizers already began inviting for the 2018 season. Held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, the matches will be played in the stadium “Sportima”. In the first tournament of the year a total of 12 teams arrives from 7 different countries with players aged at 13 years old.

The multiple time winners Bergamo “Atalanta” once again solidified their name as one of favourites by winning the tournament assuringly.

 

 

eam “Saburtalo” , from Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, became the tournaments runner-ups after winning the quarter and semi-finals with penalty shootouts. Although in the final, they lost 0-7 to Bergamo side.

 

Even Lithuania’s youth champions – FS Vilnius, lost to “Sabartalo”. They were unsuccessful and utilizing their players advantage and lost in the penalty shootout.

The third spot was taken by FC “Minsk” which was the only team not to lose to “Atalanta” during the main time. Playing quite defensively, they were able to achieve a nil-nil draw but were unfortunate in the penalty shootouts. However, in the game for the third spot, they convincingly beat team “Babite” from Latvia with a score of 5:1.

 

 

The best player awards were given to 2 “Atalanta” players, 2 for “Minsk” and 1 for “Sabartalo” side.

 

 

In four weeks the tournament will be played by 14 year olds.

The biggest Baltic countries based football tournament “Ateitis CUP” which started on Thursday and ended on Sunday has set a new record – in four days a total of 283 matches were played in the football stadium “Sportima”.

In four different age groups (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 year old children) a total of 94 teams entered the tournament from 9 different countries. Over 1500 young football players played on the same pitch for 4 days.

“In reality, we were slightly afraid of this last tournament. Even though we have the experience, a tournament of this size was not something we’ve done before”,- the main tournament organiser Dainius Gudaitis talking about the tournament.

This weekend Lithuania was visited by well known clubs and academies such as “Liverpool” (4 teams), AC “Milan” (2 teams), Turino “Juventus”, Moscow’s “Lokomotiv”, Saint Peterburg “Zenit”, “Lugano” and many more. Westerns sides had to swallow a bitter pill.

In the U9 group the youth players of Kaliningrad “Baltika” were victorious. After a successful penalty series in the semi-finals against “Liverpool” and a victory over AC “Milan” in the final, the young Russians proved their worth to everyone.

 

The U8 groups were dominated by Moscow “Lokomotiv” juniors. Six out of six games were won from them and without any problems in the very final, they beat Minsk “Smena” 7:1. In the small final “Liverpool” side beat AC “Milan”.

 

 

U7 group winner was decided by penalties. Minsk “Dinamo” were more capable then FC “Minsk” side and finally after a long break they brought the cup back to Belarus. In the battle for the third spot, the legendary English club “Liverpool” faced “Spartaks” and won 5:1.

 

In the U6 groups “Liverpool” lost their 3 goal lead and lost to Saint Petersburg “Zenit” after a penalty shootout. No matter the final standings, all the young footballers were awarded with medals.

 

On Monday at 11 A.M “Liverpool” will play a friendly game with FS “Ateitis”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The biggest in the Baltic countries based youth football event has reached new record. The U11 tournament had 48 teams from 15 different countries, with well known names such as “Liverpool”, “Juventus” Turin, “Borussia” Dortmund, “Lugano”, Kiev “Dinamo” and many more. For the very first time the tournament was held over 4 days.

“The reason was simple – there was just not enough time” – tournament organizer Dainius Gudaitis commenting on the format change.

48 teams were divided into 16 groups.Later the group winners competed for the grand cup in the knockout stage. Between the victorias teams, the Lithuanian youngsters from Vilnius “Žalgirietis” took a spot to go for the gold.

While they ended in the fourth place, they took down such as BFC “Daugavpils” who are one of the best in Latvia, the Norwegian champions NSA and even the legendary Dortmund “Borussia”.

The real tournament drama started at the quarter finals where Kiev “Dinamo” lost to FC “Liverpool” only after a penalty shootout.

The semifinals were just as great – “Juventus” only scored the winning goal against “Žalgirietis” with only 2 minutes left to play, “Liverpool” lost 0:1 to the “Lugano” team.

The final, which was watched from around 500 people, between Juventus and Lugano was only decided with penalties, in which the fortune favored Juventus as they became the grand champions of the tournament.

“Great tournament, great reactions” ,- a short opinion of their win from the “Juventus” coach.

Next week the tournament Ateitis CUP for 10 year old boys will start on Thursday. A total of 40 teams will participate divided into 8 groups.

 

 

 

 

 

The fourth weekend of this season’s Ateitis CUP was competed by the most matured boys. Somewhat unexpectedly, both groups were triumphed by the young Latvians footballers and the much praised Liverpool FC academy only finished in third place.

The legendary English club youth players succesfully started the tournament and secured a spot in the semifinals by winning four matches in the group stages, in which they were awaited by their opponents from Riga “Supernova”.

Liverpool had an immense playstyle lead , sadly they were unable to capitalize their opportunities. The game was even until the last six minutes were “Supernova” scored the only goal and securing a spot to the finals.

Last year’s champions FC “Liverpool” were obviously not expecting such a goal. Even thou they succesfully beat their opponents to take the third place home, they didn’t show the same level of football as in the group stages.

The final showdown was between the mentioned “Supernova” and “Daugavpils” in which they played a tad bit better, but were defeated by penalties and took the second place.

Penalty series were also needed in the older age finals, where “Metta” took down the previously best looking team “Nomme united” from Estonia.

Labai banguotai grupėje žaidusi “Metta” į finalinį ketvertuką pateko kaip geriausią rezultatą turinti antrą vietą užėmusi komanda. Pusfinalyje prieš Rygos atstovus krito Kaliningrado SDJUSSHOR komanda.

Uncertain play from “Metta” in the group stages entered the final four teams as the team with the best goal difference of the second place from the groups. Its worth to mention that participating teams such as FK “Minsk” , Borisov BATE, Saint Petersburg “Brigantina”, “Pskov-747”, Smolensk “Iskra”, SDJUSSHOR and “Baltika” were all teams from Russia.

Next weekend will be the U11 Ateitis CUP tournament . Between 48 teams, you will be able to see the likes of FC “Liverpool”, Turin “Juventus” , Dortmund “Borussia” , Kiev “Dinamo”, Swedish, Finnish, Swiss and many more countries with their best teams.

The tournament will start the upcoming Thursday at the capital’s stadium “Sportima”. The winners will be announced on the Sunday afternoon.

 

 

This weekend in the capital of Lithuania “Ateitis CUP” tournament was started, in which 24 teams from 12 countries competed.

The biggest interest was in Hellas Verona Academy from Italy and the best last year Scandinavian teams – Hammarby and Helsinki HJK.

All the teams were divided into 6 groups. The winners of the groups and the canditates to the champion title were: Verona Hellas (Italy), SK Babite (Latvia), Riga Metta (Latvia), Stockholm Hammarby (Sweden), HJK Helsinki (Finland) and Tallinn Harju (Estonia).

 

 

The Hammarby and HJK Helsinki became the finalists, and the result of this battle was decided by a dramatic 11-meter penalty shoot-out.

 

 

The best tournament players were choosen from the finalist teams and Riga’s “Metta” .

 

 

The next weekend will U13 groups compete !