The Abergavenny Rhinos will “never forget” their trip to the Netherlands to compete in an international football festival and have learned lots from their experience abroad, according to one of the coaches.

Having won, three friendship cups, which were decided by international referees, the squad returned home successful following a busy weekend. In that sense, the team tasted success where the likes of Manchester United and Inter Milan failed this season, and won a European trophy.

Teams from four age groups, ranging from U9s up to U13s, set off from Abergavenny in the dead of night to catch the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk before meeting up with teams from eight other different countries.

Nigel Casson spoke to the Chronicle following the return of the mighty Rhinos after their stint in the Brabant Boys Cup and said it was an experience to remember.

“There was a lot of nice socialising between the boys who obviously live in different countries and shared each other’s cultures,” he said.

“We played sides from Denmark, Belgium, Holland, France and Germany so we got a real flavour of what football is like in other parts of Europe as well.”

Families came on the trip alongside the players and coaches, with parents and guardians joining siblings and cousins on the trip abroad to celebrate the ability the sport has bringing people together at every level of the game.

They walked into town and enjoyed the local ice cream parlour, and they had the pleasure of watching the champions league final. Nigel said that was a special evening, which will stay with them forever.

“All the kids wore football shirts to a massive colour right across the town,” he said.

“Coming back, I realise it was a really good trip and we can’t fault the experience and welcome we received.”

The Brabant Boys Cup took place in Schijndel, in the south of the country and was organised by Eurosprorting International Tournaments. The organisation helped the Rhinos arrange accommodation and ensured that the teams had access to the finest facilities to ply their trade.

The organisation brings together over 8,000 teams from 30 different countries across all sports.

As well as memories of the experience of a lifetime, the Rhinos will be coming back with lots of lessons learned and some perspective to bring back to the field here.

“It was an eye opener in terms of the facilities because it just doesn’t compare to what we have here at the moment,” Nigel told us.

“I know the new Henry VIII school has lots of modern facilities, but I think up until a few weeks ago Abergavenny was still the only town in Monmouthshire that didn’t have a 3G pitch.”

“The standard of football in the teams we played with is incredible, and it is easy to see why. The types of facilities young players have access to on the continent are a lot better in some cases, but it is important we bring this perspective home and use it to make a difference.”