The Chelsea Academy proudly hosted the first-ever Reece James Cup at Cobham, with the Blues lifting the new trophy on home soil while paying tribute to one our most successful Academy graduates.
Named in honour of current Chelsea club captain Reece James, the inaugural Under-15s tournament saw us welcome Strasbourg, Rangers and Feyenoord to our training ground for an exciting weekend of youth football.
The Academy celebrated James’ career journey, which began in the Chelsea development centre programme at the age of six, offering inspiration for the current crop of Under-15s players hoping to follow in his footsteps.
The tournament kicked off with an opening ceremony, where Reece delivered the trophy proudly bearing his name, before matches took place over Saturday and Sunday. Our skipper was joined on the day by Blues head coach Enzo Maresca and eight members of his men's squad, including James’ fellow Academy graduates Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah.
The weekend was a success on the pitch too, as our Under-15s went unbeaten throughout the tournament. We capped off the achievement with a dominant 4-0 victory over Strasbourg in the final, meaning it was the Blues who were presented with the trophy by members of James’ family in the closing ceremony.
Take a look at some of our favourite moments captured during the Reece James Cup...