NextGen Series

The NextGen Series is an international football tournament like no other, where sixteen of the world’s best football clubs showcase their stars of the future in an exciting international knockout competition.

The NextGen Series heralds a thrilling new era in competitive football, featuring the next generation of world-class players who have been trained and nurtured by some of the greatest clubs in Europe.

The Tournament gives players and their clubs the chance to take part in a challenging 6-month international competition, culminating in a final to win the coveted NextGen Series Trophy.

For young talentsThe NextGen Series represents the unique opportunity to experience all aspects of a competitive, large international tournament. The challenges they will be facing, like adapting to unfamiliar styles of play, prolonged periods of travel and “two match weeks”, will help them when making the transition to the first team.

For football fans the tournament is a great opportunity to watch young talents in the making and to experience the new football stars of the future.

The 16 international clubs are divided into four groups of four, where each club will contest a home and an away fixture against each group member. Many of these fixtures will be taking place in their first team stadiums, such as Celtic Park, Estádio José Alvalade, Anfield and Villa Park.The top two clubs in each group progress to the knockout stage, concluding with the final in January 2012.

The NextGen Series kicked off on August 17th 2011 and includes famous clubs such as Barcelona, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Sporting Lisbon and Liverpool, producers of talents such as Messi, Ronaldo and Gerrard.

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Down's Syndrome Association

Our aim

Helping people with Down's syndrome to live full and rewarding lives.

Who we are

We are the only organisation in this country focusing solely on all aspects of living successfully with Down's syndrome. Since 1970, we have grown from being a local parent support group to a national charity with over 20,000 members, a national office in Teddington Middlesex, offices in Northern Ireland and Wales. Despite this, the organisation is run by a total staff of only 33 (many of them part time), and a network of around 126 regional volunteer-led support groups.

Our mission

• We provide information and support for people with Down's syndrome, their families and carers, and the professionals who work with them.
• We strive to improve knowledge of the condition.
• We champion the rights of people with Down's syndrome.

What we do

Our organisation is divided into various teams, including:

• Information - run the helpline; provide info about all aspects of living with Down's syndrome including specialist advisers on benefits, education and health; advise new parents or anyone experiencing difficulties
• Fundraising - responsible for raising money for the association through events, sponsorship and trusts
• Communications - give key messages to the media, public and professionals; influence policy making; responsible for external publications
• Training - provide training throughout the UK for members, professionals and carers
• Membership - responsible for all administration surrounding new members, existing members and affiliated groups

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Telephone: 0845 230 0372