The road to Gothia: Kinetic go in search of more silverware after 'most successful year'

By Tom BurtonKinetic are on the road to Gothia again as academy players dream of lighting up the tournament which has starred the likes of Alan Shearer and Andrea Pirlo.The Gothia Cup is the biggest tournament of its kind with more than 1,700 sides from 74 countries.Kinetic came home with a trophy in 2014 when the U18s impressively won the B-finals and next year, the teams are aiming for more international silverware.With 12 graduates having now signed pro contracts at the likes of Sunderland, Southampton and Ipswich Town, the buzz around Kinetic is bigger than ever."It's been an unbelievable year for us," said operating officer James Fotheringham, who co-founded the foundation five years ago. "We've gone from strength to strength and to see the effect we're having in communities around Croydon is immense."Back in 2010, when we were just starting out, if you'd told me that a dozen boys would have pro contracts by now, I'd have laughed it off."We're proud of what we've done but we know this is only the start."To keep spreading the word, and developing our young people, we need to continue to have successful tours."Gothia is probably the highlight of the year and the boys take so much from the experience."They develop their games but also their soft skills such as showing respect and teamwork. The evolution of the boys is why we do it and it's a treat to see. "The 2015 Gothia Cup was the 43rd year of the annual competition, which has featured the likes of Pirlo (1990), Xabi Alonso (1995) and Emmanuel Adebayor (1999).Shearer played in the 1985 version of the tournament and at the 1994 World Cup, eight of Bolivia's players played at the Gothia Cup in the 1980s.Kinetic’s U15s and U16s reached the round of 16 this year and were only beaten by eventual finalists.The U15s, led by James Fotheringham, were the last English side standing.They saw off sides from Italy, Sweden and Argentina before going down 3-0 to eventual winners from Spain, Inter Vista Alegre.The match was played at the new 3,000-seater Bravida Arena, home of top-flight Swedish team BK Hacken and despite an even contest, tired legs at the end of a long week cost Kinetic.Adam Knight’s U16s topped their group, scoring 13 goals in the process, and beat Bromley Juniors 3-1 in the last 32.But they also lost 3-0 in the round of 16, to Swedish side Hammarby who were beaten by an impressive Tokyo Verdy team in the final.The U17s, managed by Harry Hudson, were in the group of death for the invitational tournament but battled through to a 19th place finish overall.