A young Arsenal academy side will feature alongside elite European opposition at the weekend as the club takes part in the fourth edition of the Gerolstein U10 Hallenmasters, a tournament bringing together nine and 10-year-old players from some of the continent’s leading academies.
The event, hosted by SV Gerolstein, begins at 8.30am on Saturday with RB Leipzig facing Benfica Lisbon, and the organisers expect two days of big crowds and high-scoring football in the primary school hall of the town.
Arsenal are travelling to Gerolstein for the first time and will be joined by Liverpool, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and Benfica, with the organisers expanding the format this year to increase playing time and reduce repeat fixtures between teams.
Tournament organiser Reinhard Kröffges said Arsenal asked for detailed information on catering arrangements, with the club’s staff keen to ensure the menu was suitable for their kids. The London club are travelling via Luxembourg Airport, with a shuttle service arranged, and Kröffges said the head of the basic department of the Arsenal junior academy will also attend.
The organisers have split the teams into two groups of eight rather than four groups of four, a change designed to allow matches against a wider spread of opponents across the weekend.
Ticket sales begin at 7.30am on Saturday, with combination tickets for both days available on site only. Admission is nine euros for those aged 16 and over.
A camera crew from SWR television is expected on Saturday, with MDR also covering the tournament.