In 1997, Antonio Gallégo, Patrick Humez (President) and the steering committee of USSA Football took on a real challenge! Bringing the biggest European clubs to the lawns of St André by organising an International Tournament on the Pentecost weekend. The municipality of St André at the time, Sirs Paul Lauerière and Jean-Pierre Houzet, Mayor and Deputy for Sports, validated this very fine project and allowed our sports club to become known throughout Europe and all around the world.
In 1999, for a different management, the Organising Committee of the Tournament international took over from the club to manage administratively and financially this sporting event, which has become essential in the Lille metropolis and the most important in our municipality. From 5 to 6 professional clubs in the first years, our organisation grew to 11 professional clubs from the year 2000, the 12th club being the US ST ANDRE. This 10-month work is carried out by around a hundred volunteers who, every Pentecost weekend, are hard at work welcoming the Champions of Tomorrow. The budget for this event is now 100,000.00 Euro!
Thank you to all those who are by my side to succeed in this beautiful tournament, known everywhere in France, Europe and in the entire world. What a beautiful journey we’ve been through with players like Vincent KOMPANY, Kevin MIRALLAS, Lucas DIGNE, Jordan AYEW, Fernando TORRES and many others that have walked the lawns of our 2 beautiful stadiums.
Thank you to the municipal services, who are doing everything they can to welcome the biggest clubs. Each year we have a few nice surprises in store for you in order to entertain our town and introduce you to the champions of tomorrow.
Thank you to all the clubs that do us the honour of coming to play our sporting event every year. We thank them for the spectacle offered. This tournament could not take place without the significant help of the city, a loyal partner, but also of various institutional and private partners.
Allow me to close this brief word of introduction, by thanking all of our volunteers and the many spectators who come each year to discover the Champions of Tomorrow: our event could not take place without them!
Sincerely,
For the Organising Committee,
The President,
Damien Houzet
Our organization is immensely proud of its rich and fascinating history. We have been hosting football tournaments for several years, and it’s an honor to have welcomed some of the world’s top football teams and players. It has been our privilege to provide a platform for promising and exciting players to showcase their talent to a global audience.
One of the highlights of our history is undoubtedly the long list of winners who have emerged from our tournaments over the years. We have had the pleasure of witnessing some truly remarkable matches and breathtaking performances, as well as seeing some of the most promising young players develop into world-class athletes.
