Thousands of top-flight soccer players from across the world will arrive in Utah and Nevada this week for the 7 Elite Academy International Tournament, presented by Greater Zion.

Over 450 teams from the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States have registered for the event, which takes place at venues in St George, Washington and Mesquite from February 6-9.

Clubs from Liverpool and Birmingham in the UK, Calgary in Canada and states across the USA will face each other in one of the region’s biggest-ever youth soccer tournaments.

Players will also have an opportunity to train with goalkeeper coaches and staff from the English Premier League at a series of masterclass sessions throughout the week.

Liverpool and England star Stephen Warnock, now a commentator on NBC Sport’s coverage of the EPL, will also attend the event to meet players and offer advice on careers in soccer.

Anthony Godfrey, 7 Elite Academy Global Academy Director, is looking forward to a spectacular weekend of the international youth soccer and global sports partnerships.

He said: “Our tournament is, and always has been, about creating a fantastic atmosphere where players can thrive and compete against some of the best youth soccer teams on the planet.

“This year we have seen more interest than ever from teams eager to join in and enjoy the competitive spirit that has become a talking point within youth soccer in Utah and at clubs across the world.

“By combining some of the very best teams in the United States with international teams from Liverpool, Birmingham and Calgary, we are making sure every single game will have a unique competitive edge.

“But this tournament is also about creating opportunities for young people to take the next step in their careers. That’s why we’ll have staff and recruiters from colleges, universities and professional acadmies.

“They’ll be there to offer advice and guidance, but also seek out the very best talent. Countless players from our previous events have progressed to college scholarships and contracts with academies in the UK.”

Teams from Pre Academy through to Under-19 will compete at Little Valley Soccer Park in St George, Sullivan Virgin River Soccer Park in Washington and Mesquite Regional Sports and Events Complex.

Nick Nield, 7 Elite Academy International Tournament Director, said: “Creating this tournament has taken a year of hard work by a team of dedicated professionals, and I’m so excited to see it come to life this week.

“We have put a huge amount of effort into making sure we have high quality entertainment, food and music for all the family at every single one of our major venues.

“Every year the standard of play gets better, which is putting Utah soccer into the national and international spotlight. That creates new opportunities for players to progress towards college and academy soccer.

“Not only do we see players taking up college places as a result of playing at our tournament, but they also get recruited by professional academies here in America and Liverpool in the United Kingdom.

“The key part of the weekend for me is seeing the players enjoy playing soccer. That’s what really matters and is why we’re all here.”