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“There’s nothing quite like it,” the Under-18s’ lead coach Travis Binnion says.
“I think you find out quite a lot about players in this tournament. The number of tickets sold shows what a fantastic club we represent, what it’s capable of and the interest the fans have in the youth programme and the Academy. It’s brilliant.”
Also crucial to the Youth Cup, of course, is that sense of jeopardy. There are several transitions experienced for Academy players throughout their development – United’s youth set-up works in three main age groups, from 9-13, 14-16 and then 17-23 – but perhaps the hardest hurdle comes in the move from a full focus on development at the younger ages to the U18s and U23s where results begin to matter more, in preparation for senior football.
“The purpose of the FA Youth Cup is to create amazing learning opportunities,” says Cox.
“The boys put some pressure on themselves to win, the history of the competition at this club puts a little bit of pressure on them as well, and you play in front of crowds, have that little bit of pressure and have to deal with whatever conundrums cup competitions throw at you.”
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