Back in 2017, Neil Simpson returned to Gothenburg to take part in the tournament with an Aberdeen U17s team which included Jack MacKenzie, Connor Barron and Dean Campbell …

The Gothia Cup is the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan youth football tournament. Pre-covid times would see around 1700 teams from 80 nations take part each year, playing 4,500 games on 110 pitches. Through the years, over a million players from a total of 149 countries have participated in the tournament. During the tournament more than 2500 people work at the event.
The Gothia Cup was first held in 1975. The tournament was started by the football clubs BK Häcken and GAIS and a local newspaper. Since the early 1980s the tournament is owned entirely by this weeks European opponents, BK Häcken.

The competition’s general secretary, Dennis Andersson, recalls that, “When it all began, no one could have imagined what the Gothia Cup, a small youth tournament, would become. It was 1975, and the concept of a tournament to which teams from abroad would also be invited was unique, but it would also prove to be extremely successful.

“The old, yellowing piece of paper still exists on which we wrote down our vision for the new Gothia Cup. It states: “The Gothia Cup shall be a meeting place for the young people of the world, regardless of colour, gender or religion.” This was written in 1981 and remains the guiding principle for the organisation to this day. With more than one million participants from 149 countries and with a name as the world’s biggest youth event, we can justifiably claim that we have succeeded.”

Aberdeen competed for the Gothia Tipselit Trophy, and in addition to Aberdeen, 36 other teams from 13 different countries played for that cup, divided into six different groups. The young Dons were in Group 3 together with Swedish sides AIK FF, IFK Göteborg and Gamba Osaka from Japan. The U17s continued to play-off B after reaching third place in Group 3. In the play-off they made it to the quarter-final stage, but lost against another Swedish side, Djurgårdens IF, 7-6 on penalties.

Dean Campbell has some happy memories from that tournament. “I remember we beat IFK Gothenburg 1-0 in the first game and I scored the winner!

“That was a good memory.

We then lost against Japanese side Gamba Osaka 3-1 and IFK 2-1. Both were very tight games.

“We did not really know what to expect before we went over but I could not believe just how massive the event was when we got there.

There was the festival side of it as well, there was a huge opening ceremony in the Ullivi Stadium which I was very excited about as it is very important in the history of Aberdeen. It was also nice that Neil Simpson was with us! That was a very cool experience as the stadium was full. I also think they played the finals there too. Every game we played, it was packed with fans. It was a really well run event considering there were so many people involved.

“It was a brilliant experience.

“At that age, to have the chance to test yourself against top foreign players was very important in my development. At youth level in Scotland, you play against a lot of the same players year in, year out so in these games, when the whistle goes, you are experiencing something different and it is really good to test yourself against top opposition from other countries.

“I remember the city of Gothenburg being really clean.

“Although we did not get the chance to do a lot of exploring because we had so many games in a short space of time, I do remember that Gothenburg is a lovely place. It was a very good trip and I am looking forward to going back this week.

“From a personal point of view, I can’t wait to get the season started.

“Pre-season has been good and I am feeling very fit. The manager has brought in different ideas and a different way of doing things. There have been days when it has been really intense and really tough and then the next day it has been taken down a notch to allow us to recover more.

“We have not had too many injuries and the standard of training has been very high. I kept myself in good shape over the holidays and have been working as hard as I possibly can to make an impression. I am looking to kick on this season.

“I am really looking forward to another European adventure. I feel that the European games suit the way I play a bit more. The games are a lot more possession based. Teams are technically very good but also come off you till you get in a certain area of the pitch, so I have enjoyed my time in Europe and have enjoyed playing against some really good players. It shows me the level I have to try and get to if I want to play in these competitions for the rest of my career.

“I also have a lot of experience of playing against some of the best players in Europe, if not the world, at my age group when I have been away with Scotland. Throughout the years, we have had some unbelievable results against some of the top countries which has done a lot for my confidence and I will be looking to make an impressive start in Europe with Aberdeen this year.

“I know there will be a lot of competition for places in the midfield. Already you can see the professionalism that Scott Brown brings to the table. He is such a good player to learn from. So far he has been really good with me. He has taken time to try and help me improve and has given tips when he feels that I need it.

“It is a case this season of learning from Scott and all the midfielders and fighting for my place and continuing to work hard and continuing to do well when I do play.”