Premier League clubs, in partnership with the Football Friends Foundation, have volunteered a squad of 18 Premier Academy League players to play in the Football Friends tournament in Foca, Bosnia, that takes place over three days starting on Friday 23rd May.

The Premier Academy League Representative squad, which includes players from eight Premier League clubs, will compete against seven other under-17 teams in the charity event, which will be from the former Yugoslav Republics, Greece and Poland.

This year's tournament will be the fourth of its kind in Bosnia but will be the first time an English League has volunteered a representative squad to take part.

The first Football Friends tournament took place in May 2005 as part of the UN's 'Year of Sport for Development and Peace' in the Balkans region and a tournament has taken place every year since.

good causes 

In an area so badly affected by war during the 1990s the football tournament aims to re-introduce values of fair-play, tolerance, humanity, and friendship amongst young people in the region.

Premier League Youth Development Manager Huw Jennings said: "Experience plays such a key role in the development of young players and I have no doubt that getting involved in this tournament and seeing first hand the difficulties endured by young people growing up in the Balkans region will benefit the Premier Academy League players who take part.

"The Premier League and its clubs have a long held commitment to contributing to charities and good causes in this country and abroad. This commitment to the Football Friends tournament furthers that and I am delighted a Premier Academy League Representative squad will be taking part."

Players selected for the Premier Academy League squad are representatives of eight Premier Academy League teams: Sunderland, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Middlesbrough, Everton, West Ham United, Manchester City, and Birmingham City.

The tournament is endorsed by FIFA as part of their Football for Hope project and is backed by well known clubs in the region including Red Star Belgrade and Zeljeznicar Sarajevo.