Sports Tours Blog from Tours 4 Sport

The Manchester Cup Adult Football Tournament

2011-12-08T10:34:00.000Z

It's high time that there was a well-organised, social football tournament for mens teams based in the UK. Yes there are tournaments abroad like the Overamstel Amsterdam football tournaments but if you can't spare the time or money to go abroad then Tours 4 Sport have the answer.

The Manchester Cup.

The Manchester Cup is a football tournament held in Manchester for men's teams of a social to good standard. The focus is on well-organised tournament football on the Saturday and making the most of the nightlife that Manchester has to offer over the weekend. From the moment you arrive in Manchester you’ll be well looked after by our tournament reps who will explain where you need to be and when as well the location of the nearest bar, pub, club or restaurant.

Take a stadium tour of Old Trafford on your free day!

The tournament will take place at a local sports club with great facilities including a 4G pitch, 5-a-side pitch, golf course, bar and big screen TV and you will be taken by coach from your hotel to the tournament venue and then back to the hotel daily.

The tournament format will be group stages then a knockout semi-final and final taking place over the Saturday. There will be a presentation ceremony on the Saturday evening at the club with prizes and trophies after the final. In between your matches why not take advantage of the great facilities and enjoy a round of golf, relax in the bar or have a kickabout on the 5-a-side pitch if you’re feeling energetic. There is also the chance to go Canoeing on the river right next to the club and you can make full use of the BBQ and food available .

The Champions League Final will also be shown live in the club bar on Saturday evening.

Stay in a great 3* hotel with breakfast included and choose from either a 2 night or 3 night package. What goes on tour, stays on tour but if you want to make it a weekend for the WAGS, then bring them along too.

For a PDF tournament brochure click here: Manchester Cup Adult Football Tournament

Contact one of our football tour managers on 0800 0433887 or e-mail info@tours4port.com for more information. for more information on the Manchester Cup.

Exeter University Sports Training Camp

2011-11-16T08:18:00.000Z

Having travelled to Loughborough University in August 2010 for an intensive per season hockey training camp using their state of the art facilities, Brighton College U15 & U18 hockey girls and U15 & U18 netballers wanted to find facilities similar to Loughborough but somewhere in the South West of England for their multi sports hockey and netball training camp in 2011.

The hockey and netball coaches need no direction when it comes to what is best to improve their player’s performance so there was no need to get a professional coach in to train the girls. This tour was purely about giving the teams the best environment in which to focus on their individual technique and team performance. After speaking to sports tours manager Daniel Smith about their requirements the obvious choice for them was an Exeter University sports training camp.

Only 3 hours from London, Exeter University is renowned for its sporting prowess and they have superb facilities to enhance that reputation further. Exeter is a unique city packed with exciting history ranging from Exeter Cathedral’s magnificent Gothic architecture to the mysterious medieval Underground passages. It's a city full of contrasts. Big names can be found in the High Street and the spacious new Princesshay development, but there are also fascinating specialist Exeter shopping haunts like narrow cobbled Gandy Street. As well as making use of the fantastic sports facilities a tour to Exeter is also useful for pupils who are thinking about going to University to give them a feel for one of the UK’s top campus Universities. Many school and sixth form students who take their sport seriously might want to consider Exeter as one of their university choices, and this stay will give them a real insight into what it could offer them.

Exeter University is one of the top Universities in the UK with modern facilities, comfortable ensuite accommodation, excellent meal options with in-hall dining and all in a great location. The Streatham Sports Park is located right next to the accommodation and has a great range of sports facilities for rugby, football, hockey, netball, basketball and tennis. For their tour Brighton chose to stay on campus right next to the sports park in the comfortable ensuite rooms.

The superb sports facilities at Streatham Park include:

Indoor Facilities

8 Badminton courts

90 Station fitness studio

Sports hall

2 exercise studios

4 squash courts

4 tennis courts,

Conference facilities

Ocean Physiotherapy

Rehabilitation centre

Outdoor Facilities

Water based hockey pitch

Sand based astro pitch

Rubber Crumb astro pitch

1/4 sized sand based all weather pitch

5-a-side soccer pitch

6 Outdoor tennis courts

Heated swimming pool

6 Netball courts

Multi Usage Games Area (MUGA)

Social areas for casual games

Although we can arrange coach travel or flights and transfers to Exeter University Brighton College chose to drive their school minibuses to the campus where there is ample parking next to the accommodation block. On their 4 night tour they made the most of their time using the facilities throughout the morning and afternoon. The netball teams used the outdoor and indoor netball court for their own training sessions for 3 hours while the hockey teams used the new water-based astro next door. After each session a lunch would be provided at the accommodation and the girls could freshen up in their ensuite rooms before eating. After a short rest the training continued and comprised a mixture of court/pitch based training or exclusive use of the swimming pool and gym.

With 4 sports fixtures organised against local opposition Tiverton Hornets Hockey Club and West Exeter Netball the girls made sure that they were ready to put into practice everything they had learnt from their coaches throughout the day. The fixtures provided some tough opposition but Brighton came away victorious in all 4 fixtures albeit by close margins. The clubs were very welcoming and also grateful of testing fixtures during their off-season. Tours 4 Sport arranged all the fixtures so that each team would have support from the other teams that weren’t training which is always a boost for any young player. After their fixtures the teams were free to take a trip ten pin bowling, play some social tennis or enjoy the sights of Exeter at night with their teachers in tow. On the final night after the fixture the players enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant in Exeter as a reward for their hard work over the past 4 days which was organised by Tours 4 Sport instead of their meal at the accommodation.

If you’re looking for a tour that will improve your player’s individual performance and your team’s morale then Tours 4 Sport can organise sports training camps for sports including hockey, netball, rugby, football, basketball, swimming and more. We’ll take care of the itinerary planning working to your requirements to ensure that you get everything you want from your tour and more. Call 0800 0433887 or e-mail info@tours4sport.com

All of these training camps can be found on www.tours4sport.com where there are a range of excellent sports training camps and sports development tours throughout the UK, Europe and Worldwide.

Pre-season school rugby training tour in Manchester

2011-11-15T12:32:00.000Z

In August 2011, Brighton College sent 65 boys from 3 age groups for a 6 day training camp in Manchester. They had access to outstanding rugby facilities, pool and gym, allowing them to prepare all of their teams for the season to follow in a short space of time.

Tours 4 Sport can organise coach travel as part of our packages, but Brighton College chose to use their school minibuses to bring their students up to Manchester. Our customer service was called into action early when one school staff member - who shall remain nameless - had a breakdown. Our staff organised a local garage to fix the bus during the stay, minimising any disruption.

The students arrived during the late afternoon, where they were fed at their host rugby club before making the short journey to watch Sale Sharks' pre-season fixture against Edinburgh, an entertaining game and good start to the trip for the students.

From here we all headed back to the hotel which was to be our tour base for the next week. We use a perfect hotel in South Manchester for our training camps. There is free wi-fi throughout, satellite TV in all the rooms, a good bar and quality restaurant which is used to preparing menus for professional sports groups. The leisure facilities make it perfect for sports camps: there are two gyms, swimming pool, spinning studio, sauna and spa area, all free for hotel residents. We also provided a squash court free of charge each evening for students or staff to relax. Outside the hotel, there is a grass sports pitch; most of our serious training was done off-site, but this was a useful site for times when not as much space was required. It was the site of the opening session, the dreaded fitness tests! Given the large size of the group, we also included free use of a meeting room throughout the stay, which proved useful for team meetings, DVD nights and a couple of private meals when the restaurant was busy.

The majority of the training took place at Burnage rugby club available exclusively to Tours 4 Sport groups, just 10 minutes' drive from the hotel. The club is a perfect base for rugby training camps, as it has everything you need for the rugby training plus opportunities to relax both indoors and outdoors. The rugby training took place across the two full-size grass pitches and the full size, rugby specific 3G pitch. The teams had free use of the club's contact equipment and Predator scrummaging machine. We generally did two sessions a day, with free time in between. We had organised hot lunches to be served in the clubhouse which also boasts free wifi, Sky TV and a covered patio area overlooking all 3 pitches. There is also a 9 hole pitch and put golf course at the club, which the staff and students enjoyed in their down-time. The club even has a canoeing school, where we can organise half day guided excursions down a canoeable stretch of the River Mersey which runs alongside the club.

The hotel gym was great for cardio work, machine weights and most importantly some recuperation pool work in the evenings, but Brighton also wanted to do a couple of specific training sessions, particularly for their senior boys. So we organised access to a weights gym with a huge range of dumbbells and full olympic weights and bars. We took the 10 minute drive from the rugby club three times during the week, twice for the senior boys and once for the U16 and U15 squads who were given an introduction to olympic lifting and a circuit training class. The rugby lads really enjoyed the atmosphere in the Rocky-style gym, and were certainly worked hard by their coaches!

Having achieved everything they set out to do, the teams finished off with an early fitness session on their final morning before heading back on the road to Brighton. In the 6 day stay they managed 9 pitch based sessions, 3 weights sessions, plus daily rehab, cardio and team meetings back at the hotel. Director of rugby Nick Buoy was delighted with the results: "as ever, Tours4 provided high quality service and facilites. Their understanding of the game and our training requirements makes it easy for us to focus on the coaching, as we know everything else will be in place as required. The hotel, rugby club and gym were all fantastic, thanks once again."

Tours 4 Sport would be happy to organise your school's next pre-season training camp. We offer training camp venues across the UK and in Europe which will allow you to prepare your teams thoroughly in a safe, enjoyable environment. Email us on info@tours4.com or call 0800 043 3887 to get your side booked in today.

Easter Rugby Tournament Edinburgh 2012

2011-10-28T12:50:00.000+01:00

Enjoy a two day rugby tournament at Edinburgh's most historic club for U16 & U17/18 categories as part of a four day package. Combine a stay in one of the UK's most attractive cities with a quality rugby tournament for your next tour.

The emphasis here is on fewer teams and longer fixtures, giving teams an opportunity to play good rugby. More details below.

2012 will be the third edition of the Capitals Cup in Edinburgh, exclusively available to Tours 4 Sport customers. The tournament will be held on Easter weekend, with rugby played on the 7^th and 8^th April 2012. 4 day tour packages start on Friday 6^th April, through to Monday 9^th April

There are two age categories, Under 16 and Under 18. We strongly believe that at this age, teams deserve the opportunity to build a game in realistic match conditions, not play a few short, frantic games punctuated by long gaps in between. We therefore limit the number of entries to a maximum of 8 teams. Games are 15-a-side and last 2 x 15 minutes. Group games are played on Saturday and knock out finals are played on Sunday. Scottish union referees will be used to officiate. There will be First Aid assistance, BBQ running throughout the weekend and of course the bar will be open.

The venue for the tournament is again the historic Raeburn Place, home to Edinburgh Academicals Football Club, the oldest rugby club in Scotland, second oldest in the world, and venue of the first ever Calcutta Cup game. The club remains one of the best in the country and has produced players like Mike Blair, the Scotland and British Lions scrum half. Mike dropped in to present the trophies in our 2009 edition.

As well as the rugby, the tournament package includes BBQ food item for tourists on both tournament days, plus hot food for everyone after the finals on Sunday afternoon. Trophies are awarded to the winners and all teams are given a framed team photograph to take back to their clubs.

Edinburgh is a magnificent destination for a rugby tour. The city's architecture makes it one of the UK's most attractive cities, but there is also a lot more to enjoy. Princes Street and the famous Royal Mile form the city's backbone, leading from Holyrood Park all the way up to Edinburgh Castle, with a vast selection of shops, restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions in between. A couple of minutes to the South is Cowgate and the Grassmarket, another popular spot in the evenings. And just to the North is George Street and the 'new town', home to the trendy shops, boutiques and cafes. Close by, a couple of minutes' walk from Waverley Station is the Playhouse theatre and the Omni centre, home to a cinema, several chain restaurants and bars. Our touring groups in the past have also enjoyed tours of the impressive Murrayfield Stadium, ghost tours in the city, a trip into the Edinburgh Dungeon. Within driving distance of the city centre you can also reach the coast, which offers some good beaches as well as the Royal Yacht Britannia in dock at Leith. Groups have travelled to go karting, paintball and the climbing wall on previous tours, and we can organise advance bookings at all of these attractions as part of our itinerary planning service.

We use a range of accommodation in central Edinburgh which has been tried and tested with our junior tours over the years. There is a surprising amount of poor quality accommodation in the city, and lots of very expensive hotels too. Finding something which is central, affordable and comfortable can be a challenge, but we've done all that for you. We use two city centre venues, both of them situated within 5 minutes' walk of all the major attractions. Groups will be accommodated in multi-bedded en-suite rooms, on bed and breakfast basis. 24 hour reception, internet stations, bar and restaurant all on-site, making a perfect base for your Edinburgh tour.

Our packages also include private executive coach hire. Our 49 seat coaches come equipped with WC, air conditioning, DVD/video player, lap belts. Our friendly drivers will pick you up at your home club on Good Friday, drive you to Edinburgh and remain with you throughout the weekend, returning home on Easter Monday.

Prices start from just £245 per person and include:

· 4 days' executive coach hire
· 3 nights' city centre accommodation on bed and breakfast basis.
· 2 days' rugby, including BBQ food on both days.
· Post tournament dinner.
· Awards & team photo.
· Staff assistance throughout the weekend.
· Itinerary planning service.

We can arrange local coach transfers for groups looking to arrive by air; contact us for more details.
To combine excellent rugby and a brilliant tour city without breaking the bank, contact us today on 0800 0433 887 or info@tours4.com

Cricket Tours to Barbados

2011-09-30T16:37:00.002+01:00

With year round sunshine, long golden beaches and a great sporting passion, few destinations match Barbados for a sports tour. The stunningly-beautiful Island of Barbados is situated in the South of the Caribbean, forming the south eastern point of the West Indian Countries. The totally tropical culture of Barbados will ensure that you will enjoy a relaxing time while experiencing some quality sporting opposition. Our dedicated Bajan tour representatives can accompany you throughout your tour to make sure you have the best possible time on Tour.

Reed's School from Surrey embarked on a successful cricket tour to Barbados in July, and we have compiled a selection of photos from the tour in the following video:

Master in charge of Cricket Mr Dunn had this to say about their tour:

"The attractions that we took in were the Island Jeep Safari, a trip to Oistins, an evening meal at Marshall’s Bar, a Catamaran Cruise and a trip to The Kensington Oval. The boys loved them all. The Jeep safari was superb as we travelled around the island on a Saturday so the boys saw a great deal of local cricket being played as well as seeing the real Barbados. The trip to Oistins was an eye-opener for them as they sampled local cuisine and culture in huge quantities. Marshall’s Bar was interesting with all the heritage of West Indian cricket plastered over the walls. The Catamaran Cruise was a taste of the highlife that the boys will never forge, especially mooring off Sandy Lane. The visit to the newly revamped Kensington Oval was excellent.

It was the best organised tour we had experienced by some distance. The fact that we had two ground agents with us all the time meant that we did not have to worry about anything. We have never had such good service from our reps whilst on tour and we have been lucky enough to have been on a few! In this respect you put all your competitors in the shade".

7 to 10 night tour packages to Barbados in 2012 start from £1,175 per person, get in touch with our tour managers for more information on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com

Portugal Youth Rugby Festival 2012

2011-09-07T11:30:00.002+01:00

The TMN Portugal Rugby Youth Festival is already established as one of the best international youth rugby festivals for club and school teams in Europe. Held on Saturday 31st March and Sunday 1st April 2012, it will be the 5th time the event has been held and reflects the growth of the game in Portugal. Professionally organised in partnership with the Portuguese Rugby Federation, the quality of rugby is good, and the rugby located in a lovely setting just outside Lisbon.

Sean Bishop, our Rugby Tours manager here at Tours 4, looks at the tournament in a bit more detail and what packages are on offer.

A total of 6 grass rugby pitches, including the Jamor Sports Complex National Stadium, make it a great setting for a tournament. There are a mixture of local teams and touring teams, primarily from the UK. There is a minimum number of Portuguese teams involved as one of the main goals for the event organisers is to contribute to the development of rugby in Portugal.

Venue

Lisbon, and in particular the Jamor Valley, offers excellent conditions for sports training camps and tournaments. It is popular with sports teams travelling to Portugal for warm weather training camps and the site offers great facilities for rugby, football, swimming, and athletics. The Festival is held on 5 grass pitches, and also one artificial pitch that is IRB approved. One of the grass pitches is the former National Football Stadium, where famously in 1967 Celtic won the European Cup against inter Milan.

Tournament

There is a difference between an English age category (with players born between September and August) and a European one (with players born between January and December). Your tour manager from Tours 4 Sport will help you get this right.

U13 Category: Players born 1999 & 2000.
U15 Category: Players born 1997 & 1998
U17 Category: Players born 1995 & 1996
U19 Category: Players born 1994 & 1994
Note: at each category, any UK team can have up to 5 'UK eligible, European over-age' players on the field at any one time. In reality this makes the tournament a feasible option for U12s, U14s, U16s & U18s, plus U13s, 15s, 17s & 19s who are confident that they can always field a team with the prerequisite number of players born January-onwards

Last year 70 teams (2000 players) competed over the 4 categories, which included sides from England, Ireland, Wales, Portugal, and Spain. The pitches are very good quality and the finals generate good crowds. There will be a medical presence at the tournament plus of course bars and catering stands as well as other attractions. On the Sunday evening there will be an awards ceremony and party with live music. As rugby is a developing sport in Portugal, the national rugby federation put a lot of effort and resources behind this tournament, which the following video demonstrates:

The pointers below should help you with the basics of how the tournament works.

Pitch size: U13 & U15 play across half a pitch; U17 & U19 play on full size pitch.
Players: U13 is 10-a-side, U15 is 12-a-side, U17 & U19 are 15-a-side.
Pitch type. U13 is on 3G, U15 & U17 on grass, U19 on both grass and 3G.
Game duration: U13 & U15 both play 2 x 10 minutes; U17 & U19 play 2 x 15 minutes.
Number of games: All ages expect to play 3 group games on Saturday, followed by 2 or 3 knockout games on Sunday.

Weather

Lisbon is blessed with glorious sunny days for most of the year and April is a perfect time of year for playing sport – not too hot yet but warm enough for shorts and certainly time on the beach to recover from the tournament and enjoy some leisure time. You have the option of staying in accommodation on the coast, in Lisbon itself or close by to the tournament venue.

Lisbon & surrounds

Lisbon, the westernmost city in continental Europe is ideal for a rugby tour. Warm weather, competitive rugby, stunning coastline, great nightlife, all in a wonderful city surrounded by beautiful Atlantic Coast beaches.

Lisbon offers several nearby beaches. Even though the waters are not as warm as in the south of the country, the beautiful beaches serve neatly to the interest of everyone. Most of the beaches are clean and fly the European Union Blue Flag for excellence.

The heart of Lisbon is filled with wide avenues, green trees, modernist-style buildings, mosaic decorations and numerous cafes. The city is now being reborn and renovated. Portugal is an exceedingly friendly place. Its people are some of the nicest around to visiting tourists and truly have pleasure and enjoy in being good hosts.

The best way to see Lisbon is to take the Vintage Tram 28, which offers the ultimate view of Lisbon's sights for the price of a €1.35 ticket. The route from Campo Ourique to Martim Moniz is 45 minutes of astonishing views and absurdly steep climbs.

Most locals will speak to you in perfect English, without any visible annoyance, even with pleasure!

Accommodation

You have the option of being based in the city centre, holiday park accommodation in the beautiful Jamor Valley, close to the tournemanent venue, or further along the coast in Estoril or the lovely fishing town of Cascais. There is a variety of accommodation on offer to suit different budgets and requirements.

The most popular and affordable accommodation is in chalets

We can also organise a city centre hostel, next to Marques de Pombal and Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon. Here you would be accommodated in multi-bedded room, and the hostel has bar, restaurant and common room with pool table.

If your group wanted a little more luxury then we can offer 3* hotels in the popular tourist town of Estoril. You are within walking distance of the excellent beach, and the hotel has a nice outdoor pool overlooked by a terrace bar. If you prefer city living, then we have a 3* option in central Lisbon, without the pool but still with good quality facilities, including excellent bar and restaurant.

Prices

We have 4, 5 and 6 day packages. They all include the following:

Meet & Greet from our local English speaking guide.
Return airport transfers upon arrival and departure in Lisbon.
Entry into the 2012 Portugal Youth Rugby Festival.
3/4/5 nights' half board (breakfast and evening meal) accommodation in your chosen venue.
Return transfers to both tournament days.
Free admission into all activities and associated events at the tournament.
Tournament gifts, including an event T-shirt.
Itinerary planning service.
Payment protection insurance.

5 night package also includes half day Lisbon city tour.

6 day package includes the half day tour, plus an additional friendly fixture against a local club, including return coach transfers from and to your accommodation.

The following prices exclude flights:

6 days 3* hotel: £410
6 days hostel/holiday park: £345
5 days 3* hotel: £335
5 days hostel/holiday park £275
4 days 3* hotel: £275
4 days hostel/holiday park £230

Travel

Lisbon is only 2 ½ hours away from the UK and there are now many low cost flight connections to the city’s main airport. The tournament venue is located 20 minutes from Lisbon International Airport.

Flights can be organised in one of two ways. You can source your own flights with budget airlines, or we can book flights for you. Easyjet fly to Lisbon from Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London Gatwick, Luton. BA fly from London Heathrow. TAP Portugal also fly from London and Manchester.

For your chance to compete in this great tournament, contact Tours 4 Sport today on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com

Bournemouth Training Camp

2011-08-26T16:34:00.001+01:00

KCS Wimbledon 1st XV recently travelled to Bournemouth for a week long training camp ahead of the new term which sees them play in a competitive fixture list. Tours4 were delighted to be able to help again with the school's preparation for the new term, and organised 4 days in Bournemouth for the group which included excellent training facilities, a superb hotel with pool and gym, and of course proximity to the beach for recovery and downtime. A new venue in our UK training camp product offering, Bournemouth offers excellent accommodation, top class facilities, a beach location, and the benefit of being only 2 hours from London.

Facilities

Training is based at a 65-acre sporting venue, situated just outside Bournemouth next to the Airport. The facility is one of the UK’s leading sports centres and is home for international sport in the South as well as being home to the biggest rugby 7s tournament in the world. The facilities include three exceptional full size rugby pitches (one with spectator stand) and a further four junior rugby pitches. Home to the biggest rugby 7s tournament in the world, the RFU considers the pitches to be one of the best in the south of England. A further six beautifully maintained football pitches are open both to the public and for professional team training sessions. Users of the pitches have included premiership, championship and league teams.

Accommodation

The hotel is based 5-10 minutes drive from the sports venue and is an excellent 3* modern hotel, with excellent rooms and great facilities. In the hotel there is a gym with a vast range of cardio equipment (bikes, rowers and running machines) and a limited number of free weights and fixed resistance machines. The gym functions as a business and is a good commercial gym which runs a membership scheme. There is a 25 metre swimming pool with sauna and jacuzzi as well, making this an ideal area for players to relax after a hard day on the pitches, or for staff to get an early morning blow-out in before a day of putting the players through their paces.

There is a bar with large screen TV, good for staff and students after dinner.The food is excellent for busy sportsmen. There is also a Starbucks!

Itinerary

The daily itinerary typically included morning and afternoon pitch sessions, with lunch at the sports club at midday, and gym/pool sessions late afternoon. This can be tailored to each group's requirements. With two full size sand based astro pitches, this package can also be offered to hockey and netball squads.

With Boscombe beach only 5 minutes drive away, there is also the chance for some much needed downtime and a chance for the group to recover and enjoy the best Bournemouth has to offer.

Head or Rugby, Neil Roberts, was impressed with the experience and said:

"Bournemouth was ideal for our guys, the hotel was superb with a great pool and large gym, the pitches were great, as was the food. We liked the fact that it was only 2 hours from London, and also had the beach nearby. It was reassuring to have a Tours 4 rep on hand and we'll certainly consider returning next year"

For more information on our training camps to Bournemouth or other UK destinations, contact us on 0800 0433887 or e-mail info@tours4.com.

Ice Cricket World Cup 2012 - Registration Now Open!

2011-08-21T20:11:00.001+01:00

After the huge sucess of Ice Cricket in 2011, it's back in 2012 and better than ever. For those of you who need a little introduction to ice cricket let us talk you through the concept in this blog post. Hundreds of people have been to Estonia to experience it because if you're not there, you won't believe how good it is! The Ice Cricket World Cup is exclusive to us so get your team involved in 2012.

Think along the lines of Cricket played on Ice and you're nearly there. Click here for our Ice Cricket 2012 Brochure or you can also visit our website www.icecricket.co.uk

What?

Every year hundreds of cricketers old and young, good and bad, descend on Estonia's lively capital city, Tallinn to play cricket on a frozen lake or even in an old Soviet missile factory converted into two ice rinks. Teams of 6 players (usually squads of 10 but numbers are flexible) take to the ice. You wear warm clothing and spikes for grip (unless you're feeling brave) and the rules are pretty similar to indoor cricket...

The wicket is marked out on the ice, the boundary marked out to keep confused locals off the pitch and you use an indoor ball, just don’t forget your spikes. It’s a great chance to play social cricket with a difference, in one of the most incredible cities in Europe. At Tours 4 Sport, we work with the Estonian Cricket Association to ensure the smooth running of all our Ice Cricket tours and tournaments so that everyone has a great time in the spirit of cricket.

When?

Ice Cricket World Cup 2012 - Saturday 10th March 2012

Who?
Anyone can play Ice Cricket, it doesn't matter how old, how good or how able you are after the night before, the Ice always wins. Ice Cricket is a great tour for cricket clubs of all levels, universities, stag groups, corporate and charity teams. In the past we've had international players, county professionals and semi-pro players, stags, village teams, women's teams and many more groups. It doesn't matter how good you think you are, the Ice will even things out.

How much?

Package 1 - 2 nights in Tallinn - £219 + flights
Package 2 - 3 nights in Tallinn - £259 + flights
Package 3 - 4 nights in Tallinn - £279 + flights

Return airport transfers in Tallinn
Chaperone for the duration of your tour.
Guided tour of the old town
2/3/4 nights 3* hotel and breakfast
Full day Ice cricket tournament with lunch and drinks.
Presentation evening with Banquet meal and prizes.
All resort coach transfers
Free entry into top bars and clubs
Payment Protection

You can also add activities to your tour including: Shooting, Curling, Snowmobiling, Quad biking and more...

Flights
Flights to Estonia are available from London Stansted and Gatwick with Estonian Air (www.estonian-air.ee) or easyJet (www.easyjet.co.uk) Air Baltic are also flying to Estonia from Manchester (www.airbaltic.com)

If you want to enter a team into our Ice Cricket Tournaments simply collect deposits of £50 per person, download a booking form from the Official Ice Cricket Website www.icecricket.co.uk where you'll find all the information you need and then send it to the Tours 4 Sport office.

We look forward to seeing you in Tallinn next year!

The Ice Cricket Team

Here are some testimonials from previous tourists:

"We were made to feel very welcome,Tallinnn was great, the people very friendly and the Ice Cricket an enjoyable new experiance and to make matters even better we won. Thanks to everybody involved." TS, Ice Cricket Tour to Estonia 2010

"What a superb few days we had in the beautiful City of Tallinn .. the whole trip was brilliantly organised by Dan & we were looked after throughout our stay by Evelin who was great... if you want to read the blog of our trip it can be found at www.thekingdomofredonda.blogspot.com
I would definately recommend going & hopefully we will return
AB, Kingdon Of Redonda, World Cup Winners 2009

"I would like to say a big thank you to you for organising the trip for us and ensuring that everything was in place so that it all ran smoothly. I have no problem in recommending you to other cricketers that will be interested and will certainly be putting a proposal to the club for a tour to Estonia next year."

SB, Bolshaw CC Stag weekend and cricket tour 2008

"All in all a very well organised weekend - so my thanks to you for putting it together. Whilst we were out there we were looked after wonderfully and genuinely we all had one of the most memorable weekends ever. The weekend is up there cemented in my top 5 of all time."
JF, Cricket Tour to Estonia combined with stag weekend in Tallinn 2007

"The whole of our team really is grateful that within three weeks you managed to sort us out in a great hotel, get us the fittest chaperone we have ever seen, and make sure that we had a brilliant holiday, providing us with stories that we arent allowed to tell anyone about!"
NB, Informa CC Ice Cricket Tour to Estonia in aid of Comic Relief 2007.

Rome Rugby Tours 2012

2011-08-18T15:49:00.000+01:00

Incredible Scenery, magnificent food and a passion for rugby makes Italy the ultimate

European rugby tour destination. This tour package has been developed with a local representative, who has expert knowledge of Rome and surrounds. 2012 will be England's sixth trip to Rome, since Italy joined the championship in 2000. Since then it has become one of the most popular weekends away on the 6 Nations circuit. Why not combine this with your annual rugby tour and make it a weekend to remember!

Tours 4 Sport offers you a fantastic opportunity to experience the culture, culinary delights and fantastic sporting experience of Italy’s historical capital city. This program combines some of the best sight-seeing in Italy, quality rugby against local opponents rounded off with the opportunity to cheer on England or Scotland in the new venue for 2012, The Stadio Olimpico stadium.

Rugby in Rome has really taken off in the last few years and Italy's performance in the six nations has steadily improved along with the standard of the local club sides. The Six Nations tournament sees some high-profile international rugby matches in Rome, and a flood of rugby-loving tourists. For a weekend Rome seems to be packed with Scots in kilts or with English rugby shirts, relaxing in the central square piazza with a drink or two before kick-off.

Italy v England, Saturday February 11th 2012, Stadio Olimpico, 4pm.
Italy v Scotland, Saturday March 17th 2012, Stadio Olimpico, 12.30pm.

Suggested itinerary:

Day 01 Friday 10^th February: Benvenuti a Roma! / Welcoming Meal

Welcome to Rome! Your local tour manager will be at the airport to greet you and we will transfer into the centre of the ancient city. Upon arrival, we will complete check-in formalities as well as have some free time to rest and relax.

Evening: We gather together to enjoy a welcoming meal at the hotel or an optional meal at a traditional Roman eatery.

Day 02 Saturday 11^th February: Match 1 / Italy vs England or Scotland RBS 6 nations

This morning after a continental breakfast in the hotel you will transfer to URC Rugby Club in the first of two tour fixtures. Your fixtures will be played in the Lazio region of Italy against local opposition. Italian rugby, is played to an extremely passionate level. The impassioned and almost tribal attitude of home teams during the game is one characteristic of Italian sport. Your journey to Italy to play against a local team will be seen by some as an invasion on Roman proportions, and the village must be defended at all costs! Then once the game is over, you will be welcomed into the club and fed a remarkable meal while being attended to like an old friend.

After the game and lunch we take a short walk over to the Stadio Olimpico to experience the gladiators of Italian rugby take on England. Following the game there is a return transfer back to the hotel for an evening meal followed by a free evening to explore the nightlife of Rome. The Scotland match on March 17th is a 12.30pm kick off, so a Friday evening match would be organised on this weekend.

Day 03 Sunday 12^th February: Match 2 / Tour of Ancient Rome

After our morning breakfast we transfer to Lazio or Frascati RFC for our second game of the tour followed by some after-match hospitality by the host side and lunch. We then embark on a half day tour of the Eternal City accompanied by a local tour guide including sites such as the Circus Maximus, the Roman Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Mouth of Truth and much more!

We highly recommend that you visit the awesome Roman Colosseum. Originally known as the

Flavian Amphitheatre, the building of it was commissioned in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. It was completed by his son, Titus, in AD80, with later improvements by Domitian. Entry into the

Colloseum is around €5 for U18 and €10 for Adults.

Another must-see sight of Rome is the Trevi Fountain. The fountain, inspired by Roman triumphal arches, is the largest and most famous Baroque fountain in Rome. It is a massive 25.9 meters high and 19.8 meters wide. Tradition has it that throwing a coin into the fountain, ensures a visitors return to Rome.

Finally, no visit to Rome would be complete without a visit to the home of the Catholic Church at the Vatican City. At only 440 square metres in size, the Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is home to St Peter’s Square, the Vatican itself and the Sistine Chapel. Painted by Michelangelo, the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel which depicts scenes from the book of Genesis and the last judgement is said to be one of the finest works of art ever created.

Then its back to the hotel for the evening meal and another chance to sample some more of Rome’s nightlife.

Day 4 - Flight back to UK, Good-Bye, Buon Viaggio.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK.

What is included?

3 nights’ half board accommodation at the 4 * Hotel Regent in Rome. The Group will be accommodated in twin and triple en-suite rooms. Half board is based on a 3 course meal excluding drinks.
Return transfers from Rome Airport
2 rugby fixtures against Italian opposition including return fixture transfers and post match hospitality.
A 3 hour guided tour of Rome with a bilingual guide.
Guaranteed seated match tickets and transfers to see Italy v England on Saturday 11th Feb or Italy v Scotland on March 17th at the Stadio Olimpico (Category 3)
English speaking rep on hand for the duration of your tour + emergencies.
Itinerary Planning Service – Details of places to visit + prices
Tours 4 ltd 24-hour emergency cover, operated by senior UK staff
Tax and service charges
Payment Protection

We use a 4* Hotel in Rome City Centre and it is the perfect destination to satisfy all your accommodation needs when visiting this fantastic world culture capital. Located in the fashionable and green Parioli district in Rome city centre, The Hotel Regent is well placed to provide excellent access to many sites of interest and attractions in the Eternal city in addition to numerous excellent restaurants and bars. The hotel is on an urban train line just to the north of the historical centre (one stop) and not too far from the sports grounds that we use for many fixtures (4 stops plus a 600m walk).

3 night packages (excluding flights) start from £235 per person. Flights can be booked in one of two ways, you can source your own or we can include in the package. Several airlines fly to Rome from airports across the UK.

For a chance to go on tour and experience some Italian hospitality and Six Nations rugby, contact Tours 4 Sport on 08000433887 or email info@tours4.com / sean@tours4.com

Cologne Crusaders XV's Tournament May 2012

2011-08-15T17:06:00.002+01:00

Now in its sixth year, this one-day XV-a-side tournament is ideal for those teams who are looking for a social rugby tournament in a lively destination. Over the past years teams from the UK, Ireland, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Holland have all participated in the event and enjoyed the social ambience that Cologne Crusaders Rugby Club are famous for. It will be held on 5th May 2012.

For our adult groups, The Altstadt is also the best place to sample Kölsch, the refreshing local brew, in beer halls rivalling those in Bavaria. The city also has the highest concentration of pubs and clubs per capita in Germany, with a vibrant club scene.

There are numerous activities to keep you occupied, whether it is go-karting at the Michael Schumacher Kart and Event Centre (a must do!) or a day’s cruise on the river Rhine while enjoying the stunning landscape of the Rhine Valley. For adult groups, party cruises are also available.

Cologne is located near the Belgian border and is between 4 and 5 hours from Calais so it is ideal for groups travelling from the South of England.

Germany is an up and coming rugby nation and there is an abundance of clubs who are of a good standard and keen to welcome touring sides for a competitive game of rugby. The Cologne Crusaders epitomises rugby in Germany, lots of grilled sausages, cold beverages and a closing party with live music, a great social event. Played on the Saturday, the tournament gets underway about 11am and finishes around 5pm. There is also a Friday welcoming event at a Beerhouse in central Cologne. There is added interest in the 2012 tournament with the Underwood brothers making an appearance for a vets team already confirmed.

Testimonial:

“A cracking tournament and well organised tour from Tours 4 Sport. The club were great hosts and we had a really nice welcome to Cologne on the Friday night”, SS, Tabard RFC, Winners Cologne Crusaders Cup 2011.

What's included?

A typical tour package starts from £219 per person and will include the following:

4 days hire of executive 49 seated coach with toilet and driver. Coach will remain with you throughout your stay, and so is available for all activity and fixture transfers, within legal limits.
Return English channel ferry crossings Dover – Calais – Dover.
3 nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation in a central Cologne hostel or 3* hotel. Group accommodated in twin and triple bedded en-suite rooms.
Entry into the Cologne Crusaders Cup on April 30th (includes food and drink)
Itinerary Planning Service – Details of places to visit + prices.
Assistance with ‘Overseas Clearance to Tour’
Tours 4 ltd 24-hour emergency cover, operated by senior UK staff.
Payment Protection.

We can also offer a flight option with airport and coach transfers in Germany.

For your chance to compete in this great tournament, contact Tours 4 Sport today on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com

Tours 4 Sport Nominated at British Travel Awards 2011

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TOURS 4 SPORT has been named by the British Travel Awards as one of the shortlisted contenders for the BEST SPORTS & ACTIVITY TOUR OPERATOR 2011

Here at Tours 4 Sport we go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that you and your tourists have the best possible time on their sports tour. For the second year in a row Tours 4 Sport has been nominated in the category of Best Sports Tour Operator which is recognition for a job well done.

Vote for Tours 4 Sport using the link below

BTA’s chief executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said: “The British Travel Awards are widely considered to be the “Oscars” of the travel industry! It’s the largest awards programme in the UK created to reward travel companies and the winning accolade is the benchmark for excellence when it comes to finding out who really is the best in the business of travel for the UK consumer.”

Companies were nominated by travel industry professionals and a selection of the previous year’s consumer voters, and the shortlisted companies now go to the consumer voting stage. In 2010 over 120,000 votes were cast with the results scrutinized and audited by Deloitte LLP. The winners of the 2011 British Travel Awards will be announced at a glittering ceremony on 2 November at the Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park, London.

www.britishtravelawards.com

Loule XV's Rugby Tournament 2012

2011-08-05T14:04:00.002+01:00

The Loule Rugby Tournament in the Algarve, Portugal is a great social tournament and ideal way to end the season in the sun with your mates. It is an ideal tournament for clubs at Level 6 and below and is normally limited to 8 teams from the UK, Europe and Portugal, although this may increase in future years. The focus is on social rugby with plenty of activities and entertainment for your group, including a post tournament dinner at the club or local venue.

2011 was Loule's 25th Anniversary and the tournament was another great success. Already we have teams confirmed for 2012, including two from Scotland and two from England. It is set to be another great weekend.

All the fixtures will be held at Loule Rugby Club on a lush grass pitch and the competition format guarantees all teams at least 3 competitive matches of 15 minutes per half.

Accommodation

We have some suitable tour bases in the Algarve that have great hotels and lively nightlife to suit all tastes including Albufeira, Faro, Vilamoura and Lagos. Don't forget if you want a round or two of golf we can also arrange this for you. We can also arrange a half day boat cruise including lunch and drinks.

Here at Tours 4, we can offer competitive packages to the Tournament which include the following:

Meet and greet at Faro airport. Ongoing assistance throughout your stay
Return airport transfers in the Algarve upon arrival and departure in private coach.
2, 3 or 4 nights’ accommodation in 4* Hotel apartments based on four sharing in two twin rooms. Breakfast is included.
Entry into the Loule XV's Tournament – includes referees, tournament trophies, first aid assistance.
Tournament dinner
Tournament T Shirt
Return transfers to the tournament
Tours 4 Ltd Itinerary planning service.
Payment Protection

A suggested itinerary is below:

Itinerary

Friday

Arrive at Faro airport following your flight from the UK. Meet our friendly, bilingual guide who will escort you to your coach, which will transfer you to your accommodation.
Attend the pre tournament drinks party in the evening.

Saturday

Coach transfer from the hotel to the ground in preparation for the Loule Tournament.
Loulé Senior XVs Tournament - a minimum of 3 matches.
Post Match Food and Beers
Return transfer to hotel.
Free evening in Albufeira

Sunday

Enjoy a Free day- optional activities include golf, fishing, cruises, waterpark etc.

Monday

Check out, private coach transfer to Faro airport and depart.

Testimonials

Here's what some of the teams travelling with us in 2011 thought:

"All the lads had a great weekend. The rugby was good, the hotel was good and all the transport worked well. Thanks a lot."

JW, Macclesfield RFC.

"We’d like to thanks Tours 4 Sport for an amazing summer trip to Portugal with Burnage RFC. The weather was sublime and the lads loved lounging around the pool when we arrived. The nightlife was perfect for large groups and lots of options. Loule RFC was a great setting for the tournament, the standard of play suited all ages in the party and the whole tournament was played in good spirits, winning it was a bonus! We enjoyed a few sing songs in Loule’s clubhouse and enjoyed the hosts’ hospitality.

Overall the whole tour ran like clockwork and was a bargain at the price we paid. I forward to next year’s tour.

AK, Burnage RFC, Loule 2011.

Prices

Loule packages start from £145 per person for a 3 night tour. This price excludes flights. Flights can be booked in one of two ways, you can source your own with the budget airlines or we can book for you. There are a number of airlines flying to Faro from across the UK.

For your chance to compete in this great tournament, contact Tours 4 Sport today on 0800 043 3887 or email seanbishop@tours4.com.

Manchester Rugby 7's

2011-02-14T16:52:00.005Z

The Manchester Rugby 7s (MR7s) is the premier summer rugby event in the North of England and in 2009 and 2010 attracted thousands of spectators and players from all over the world! This year sees the event reach out to the social teams as well as the elite. Tours 4 Sport are the official travel and accommodation partner of the Manchester Rugby 7’s 2011

The Manchester Rugby 7s Festival will be played over the weekend of 13-15 May and is a must for all rugby fans! The 3 day festival will include 12 tournaments, ranging from the elite to the social. The event will also feature appearances from professional players, fancy dress, hospitality, music, trade village, tournament after party and much more!

Tournaments include the Men's Invitational, Men's Open, Vets, Ladies, Men’ social, Beer Cup, and for the first time a Business Society 7s on the Friday.

Have a look at the video below for a taste of this event:

Tours 4 Sport are the official travel and accommodation partner of the Manchester Rugby 7’s 2011. We organise rugby tours and training camps worldwide and with offices in Manchester, we are proud to be the official accommodation providers for the Manchester 7’s in 2011. With a passion for rugby, we see ourselves as the ideal partner to the North of England’s premier sevens tournament. Several of our staff members play rugby, including Rugby Tournaments Manager Sean, who has spent the last few summers travelling the length and breadth of the UK playing sevens. I am sure we will be entering our own side in the Business Society 7s!

Tours 4 Sport are offering exclusive rates in city centre hostel, hotel and apartment accommodation for teams playing in the Manchester Rugby 7’s at Broughton Park on May 14th and 15th 2011. To take advantage of these packages please contact us on 0161 282 4520 or email sean@tours4.com

http://www.manchesterrugby7s.com/

Russian Rugby Federation in Madrid

2011-02-01T11:34:00.000Z

The Russian Rugby Union squad landed in Madrid yesterday to start a week long training camp ahead of their international fixture against Spain next weekend.

Whilst most eyes of the rugby world will be trained on Cardiff, Paris and Rome this weekend, the Russian Federation are quietly preparing for a big year ahead. Entering the Rugby World Cup for the first time this year, and an emerging force on the international sevens circuit, the Eastern superpower are putting the right building blocks in place for development. No sooner had they landed in Moscow after a two-week camp in New Zealand, they were off in the air again, this time to the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Tours4 are delighted to be able to help, and have organised a week of rugby, strength and conditioning in Madrid for the group as they work towards their European Nations Cup 1st division fixture against Spain on Saturday. Keep an eye for our picture updates on twitter as the tour progresses.

Dubai Sports Tours

2010-12-23T09:42:00.001Z

The latest addition to our portfolio of brilliant sports tour destinations is The United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai is undoubtedly the hotbed of sport in the UAE and its easy to see why more and more teams are travelling there for a week of sport or as an action packed stopover to Asia and Australasia. Sports Tours Manager Sean spent a number of years living in Dubai and has unrivalled links in the sporting community, enhancing our offering in this exciting new sports tour destination.

Modern, exciting and bursting with world-class facilities, Dubai is an oasis set alongside the cool blue waters of the Arabian Gulf. The transformation of Dubai from a small fishing settlement into the extraordinary destination as we know it today remains a remarkable success story.

Dubai has a high proportion of expats living there, particularly from traditional sporting countries such as the UK, Australia, France and South Africa. With expats come international schools and clubs and inevitably a strong sports infrastructure driven by Dubai's desire to be a truly world class sporting city. There are a number of host schools and clubs available, and we can offer football, cricket, hockey, netball or rugby tours. Each sport is played from a social to good level by both locals and expats at different age groups and often use the fantastic facilities available.

With the rise in popularity of training camps for professional teams, national teams and federations, and schools serious about sport, Dubai has invested heavily in its’ sports facilities and they are now among the best in the world. Dubai Sports City on its own is home to the ICC Global Cricket Academy, The World Hockey Academy, Dubai Swimming Academy, and a proposed rugby academy. Tours 4 Sport has links to a number of top class facilities and we can also arrange training camps to Dubai for rugby, football, hockey, swimming and netball.

Tours 4 can offer a variety of tour packages to suit, have a look at the following 7 day sample itinerary:

Dubai 7 day sports tour

Day 1: UK – Dubai, UAE

Depart the UK for Dubai, UAE. We can arrange direct flights from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow with Emirates and Etihad. You can also fly indirect from a number of regional UK airports with KLM via Amsterdam. Flight times vary but the majority will arrive into Dubai in the evening local time.

Arrive Dubai International Airport, meet and greet at airport followed by transfer to accommodation for a 6 night stay.

Following check-in at your hotel, the remainder of the day is at leisure to explore the local area. Depending on time of arrival, you may want to take the Metro to one of the many luxurious shopping malls or beaches along Jumeirah Beach Road.

Day 2: Dubai

AM - Breakfast at hotel, followed by morning training session at local venue (transfer included)
PM – Tour Match 1 against local school/club opposition
Free evening at leisure to relax at your hotel or jump on the metro to a local shopping mall, combining sightseeing and shopping with your evening meal.

Day 3: Dubai

AM - Breakfast at the hotel followed by morning at leisure. Depart on a half day city tour of Dubai – experience the historic sites and vibrant cosmopolitan life of Dubai on this comprehensive sightseeing tour. From the famous gold souk to the sail-shaped hotel Burj Al Arab, you'll see all the famous sights of Dubai on this leisurely tour
PM – Tour Match 2 against friendly local opposition
Evening at leisure

Day 4: Dubai

AM - Breakfast followed by morning at leisure at a local beach
PM - Depart mid afternoon in a 4WD for a desert safari with several photo-stops during an exciting dune drive to the first destination a camel farm. The drive continues across the desert; watch a beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite where you have the opportunity to do a camel ride, sand boarding and try out a henna design on hand or feet. After working up an appetite enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner before returning to your hotel
Other options include a visit to the Burj Khalifa tower (the world’s highest!) complete with shopping experience at The Dubai Mall (located at the foot of the tower), the Dubai Museum, an evening Dhow Cruise, or simply a day on the beach relaxing and topping up your tan!

Day 5: Dubai

AM - Breakfast
You will have the morning at leisure: why not head to Jumeirah Beach Park, a popular spot with local residents and tourists for swimming as well as sunbathing. Alternatively head to the Mall of the Emirates and try out Skiing or Snowboarding at Ski Dubai.
PM - Tour Match 3 against friendly local opposition
Return to your hotel for evening at leisure

Day 6: Dubai

Breakfast.
Enjoy a full day spent at the Wild Wadi Waterpark in Jumeriah beach offering up close and personal views of the incredible Burj al Arab 6* hotel. Wild Wadi will entertain your entire group as you tackle the artificial surf machines, Falcon Fury, Tunnel of Doom, Rushing Rapids, Tumble Falls and the Thunder Rapids.
Return to your hotel and enjoy an evening at leisure.

Day 7: Dubai - UK

Breakfast.
Late morning transfer to Dubai Airport for return flight home.

Our itineraries are flexible and can be amended to suit the needs of your group. There are numerous activities that we can offer in addition to those mentioned above, have a look at our pick below:

Atlantis – The Palm

Aquaventure: Enjoy the thrill of to the largest and most exciting waterpark in the Middle East. Aquaventure is overflowing with 42 fun-filled acres, Master Blasters, speedslide, rivers, rapids, lush tropical landscapes and a private beach.

Lost Chambers: Wander through the passageways of The Lost Chambers and come face to face with marine life from around the world including sharks, giant catfish, giant arapaima and more.

Fishing

Large species abound, such as king fish and tuna. Travel out from Dubai Marina early morning to a many fishing spots in the shallow waters of the Gulf. Prime fishing for everyone, including beginners, awaits you. Be back before lunch to relax at Dubai Marina’s many waterfront restaurants.

Half Day Cruise from Dubai Marina – Palm Islands

The Palm and The World are the large man-made islands, which are being built on the coast. The project currently under construction and already showing buildings will increase Dubai’s shoreline by 120km and create a large number of residential, leisure, and entertainment areas.

Either of the Palm Island developments can be circumnavigated from Dubai Marina in less than four hours which includes a short stop along the way for lunch and a swim.

Golf – Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa

Located next to the Centre of Excellence, this 9-hole, par 36, championship standard course is situated within the idyllic grounds of the Jebel Ali Resort. This course is a fair and exciting challenge for golfers of all abilities. Tours 4 can offer preferential rates at this course for 9 hole golf, including club and buggy hire.

From October to April, Dubai is a perfect sports tour destination, offering an excellent combination of sport, sun and leisure. Importantly it is also very safe, English is widely spoken, and the facilities are unrivalled. It is simply a stunning tour destination.

If you are interested in a sports tour to Dubai then contact our Middle East expert Sean Bishop on 0800 043 3887 or e-mail sean@tours4.com.

Algarve Classics Rugby 2011

2010-12-20T19:32:00.000Z

Portugal is fast becoming one of the most popular tour destinations, particularly for rugby. With Portugal gaining the last European slot to compete in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and acquitting themselves admirably, there has never been a better time to visit on a rugby tour. Their sevens team is also competing in the IRB series and have taken some big scalps in recent years, including a win against England in Dubai 2010. Rugby means a lot to those who play in Portugal, and they are also big fans of what they call the '3rd' half.

One tournament that epitomises rugby in this country is the Algarve Rugby Classics, now confirmed for the 30th April 2011. The Algarve Vets Classic is for those men aged over 35 years in the twilight of their rugby career, so if you are a Vets team that wants great hospitality, whilst enjoying the Portuguese sun with slightly competitive games then this exciting rugby festival is perfect for you. When the rugby finishes, the entertainment continues, with the exciting night life of the Algarve.

All the fixtures will be held at Vilamoura's Rugby Club on a lush grass pitch and the competition format of the Algarve Classics Rugby Tournament guarantees all teams competitive matches. The tournament is open to men's teams of age 35 and above. There will be two dispensations for player's under 35 but over 32.
Each team is expected to play a minimum 20 minutes one way per

game and play a minimum of 3 to 4 games.

Arrival day on Friday sees all teams getting together for welcome drinks. After the matches on Saturday the gala dinner party and trophies ceremony will take place at a restaurant close to the
Vilamoura Marina. What could be better for a Vets team than playing rugby at one of Europe´s most beautiful destinations, Vilamoura, Algarve, with some of nicest beaches just a stroll away from the hotel

Here at Tours 4, we can offer competitive packages to the Algarve Classics Tournament which include the following:

Meet and greet at Faro airport. Ongoing assistance throughout your stay
Return airport transfers in the Algarve upon arrival and departure in private coach.
2, 3 or 4 nights’ accommodation in 3* Hotel apartments based on four sharing in two twin rooms . Breakfast is included.
Entry into the Algarve Rugby Vets Classic 2011 Tournament – includes referees, tournament trophies, first aid assistance.
Tournament dinner and transfer to Vilamoura
Festival T Shirt
Return transfers to the tournament
Tours 4 Ltd Itinerary planning service.
Payment Protection

You will be accommodated in 3* apartments in Vilamoura, in a privileged area for those seeking bustling days with innumerable beaches, restaurants and excellent evening entertainment spots. You will be accommodated in a twin bedded studio Apartment on a bed and breakfast basis. Your accommodation is located very close to the fantastic beaches and nightlife. Each apartment has a full kitchenette, bathroom, satellite TV, piped music, direct-dial telephone, individually-controlled air conditioning, balcony and safe, amongst other facilities.

Havant Mariners Vets travelled with us to the Algarve Classics 2010, and here's what they thought:

"For the Havant Mariners Veterans tour to the Algarve, I doubt if any operator could better the deal or service provided by Tours 4 Sport. Sympathetic to late comers, flexible with numbers and utterly professional, we were looked after from start to finish by a great team who are clearly on top of their game. What a great tournament, we will certainly be returning! Thanks again for all of your help and flexibility."

Algarve Rugby Classics Price Packages start from £199 per person. This price excludes flights. Flights can be booked in one of two ways, you can source your own with the budget airlines or we can book for you. There are a number of airlines flying to Faro from across the UK.

For your chance to compete in this great tournament, contact Tours 4 Sport today on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com

Easter Open Youth Football Tournament in Holland

2010-11-26T15:40:00.000Z

The Holland Easter Open is a superb tournament for teams on a budget with a great range of accommodation options and a very well-run tournament structure. We can offer coach travel or flight packages to the Easter Open. Held Annually in Limburg, near Eindhoven it's a fantastic tournament with prices starting at £189 with coach travel included

Holland Easter Open Football Tournament

The Easter Open Football Tournament is traditionally played on the Easter weekend and is one of our most popular Easter Youth Football Tournaments thanks to the cheap tour package price and short distance from the UK. Over the years the Easter Open in Holland has had participating teams from all over the world including England, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Australia, the USA, Russia and Hungary. There are several age groups for both boys and girls. You can find a schedule of all age groups below. If it's a large, well-organised football tournament you want at a budget-busting price then the Holland Easter Open is perfect for you.

Dates

22nd - 25th April 2011

Prices

Prices start at £189 including coach travel for 4 days for 40+

Prices start at £179 including transfers in Holland for 40+ plus flight costs.

Boys football from U9 to U19 - multiple groups for most age groups according to ability
Girls football from U11 to U19

Location

Limburg, Holland

Accommodation

Holidaypark Leurkemeer. A typical holiday park with chalets and caravans for 6 people. The park is 45 mins from the tournament and has a pool, bar + restaurant.

Landal Greenpark Schatberg. This is a self-catering holiday park with bungalows for 6 people. Situated 30 minutes from the tournament in woodland.

Centreparcs Het Heijderbos. Everything you’d expect from a centreparcs with comfortable 6-8 person chalets and plenty of activities on site. Next to pitches too.

Hotel Kleve 3*. Located just over the border in Germany this big 3* hotel is modern, comfortable, close to the centre of Kleve and only 45 mins from the tournament. Rooms are based on triples and quads, supplements apply for less.

Travel

Coach Travel: Coach travel to Limburg takes around 5 hours from Calais after the ferry. If you're travelling from Northern UK then travel overnight, during the day or stop off en route to break the journey up.

Flights: Cheap flights are available from almost every UK airport to the airport below. Click here for more information or contact the office for more flight options.
Nearby airports: Eindhoven

For more information contact the office on 0800 0433887 or e-mail info@tours4sport.com

Easter Cup - Youth Football Tournament in Holland

2010-11-26T15:14:00.002Z

Easter football tournaments in Holland are our most popular football tours over the Easter period and it's not hard to see why. Over the next two articles we choose the two most popular and well-organised Easter football tournaments in Holland: The Easter Cup in Amsterdam and the Easter Open near Eindhoven. Click below for info on the Easter Cup in Amsterdam

Holland has long been the destination of choice for teams looking for great value for money from their youth football tournaments anCupd there are several held throughout the year. Over the Easter period the best tournaments for UK teams are the Easter Cup in Amsterdam and the Easter Open near Eindhoven. Both tournaments offer excellent value and can cater for a complete range of budgets, ages and abilities.

Holland Easter Cup Football Tournament

The Holland Easter Cup is one of the largest junior football tournaments in Europe. Between 250 and 300 teams from 12 countries are expected this year. Whether you have several age groups or just one, the Holland Easter Cup is a great value football tournament for junior teams and schools from the UK. The fields are spread over different locations in and around the medieval towns of Haarlem, Heemstede, Velsen, IJmuiden, Zwanenburg as well as Amsterdam, which is located at only 15 minutes from Haarlem. If it's a large competitive football tournament you want, then the Holland Easter Cup is definately the right tournament for you and your team.

Date

Easter Weekend - Friday 22nd - Monday 25th April 2011

Prices

Coach travel - prices start at £249 per person for 40+ people on a 4 day tour.

Flight option - prices start at £219 per person for 40+ people on a 4 day tour (plus flight costs)

Age Categories

Groep	Agegroup (born 1 januari)	Players + Subs	Teams
Class 1	B17 - Boys 1994 or later	11 + 5	15
Class 2	B16 - Boys 1995 or later	11 + 5	15
Class 3	C15 - Boys 1996 or later	11 + 5	25
Class 4	C14 - Boys 1997 or later	11 + 5	25
Class 5	D13 - Boys / Girls born 1998 or later	11 + Unlimited	30
Class 6	D12 - Boys / Girls born 1999 or later	11 + Unlimited	20
Class 7	E11 - Boys / Girls born 2000 or later	7 + Unlimited	10
Class 8	E10 - Boys / Girls born 2001 or later	7 + Unlimited	10
Class 9	F09 - Boys / Girls born 2002 or later	7 + Unlimited	10
Class 10	G17 - Girls born 1994 or later	11 + 5	10
Class 11	G15 - Girls born 1996 or later	11 + 5	10

Location

Amsterdam, Holland

Optional Extra Activities

Ajax Stadium Tour and Ajax Museum entry
Tickets to an Ajax FC match
Cheese and Clog Factory visits
RijksMuseum
Van Gogh Museum
Boat tour of Amsterdam
Paintball, Karting and Quad bikes

Accommodation

Stayokay. We have several great Stayokay hostels in Noordwijk, Zeeburg and Haarlem over Easter weekend all with great facilities in multi bed ensuite rooms. This is on a full board basis with breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Hostel. All hostels are based in and around Haarlem and use multi bed rooms (4-10 beds) on a half board (HB - breakfast and dinner) basis.

Hotels. We use tourist class hotels based in and around Haarlem with quad, triple, twin and single rooms available. Each room is typically ensuite and you can choose from bed and breakfast or half board meal options.

Walibi World is a themepark with more than 40 attractions, especially for youth groups, rollercoasters, water attractions, shows and more. The theme park also encompasses a fantastic holiday park with bungalows of 4-7 people.

Travel

Coach Travel: Coach travel to Amsterdam takes around 5 hours from Calais after the ferry. If you're travelling from Northern UK then travel overnight, during the day or stop off en route to break the journey up.

Flights: Cheap flights are available from almost every UK airport to the airport below. Click herefor more information or contact the office for more flight options.
Nearby airports: Amsterdam Schipol

For more information on this tour and a quote sheet please contact us for more information. Call our FREE number on 0800 0433887 or e-mail info@tours4sport.com.

Malta School Sports Tour - Abraham Moss School

2010-11-25T11:52:00.001Z

In October 2010, 30 pupils and 4 staff from Abraham Moss School in Manchester visited the sunny island of Malta on their school sports tour. After a successful parents' presentation evening where tour manager Daniel Smith explained more about the island and its touring possibilities the team decided to go on their school sports tour to Malta.

Malta is situated in the Mediterranean just South of Italy and with flights available from Manchester, London and the Midlands it's easily accessible for most school sports teams from the UK. Malta is a great destination for youth rugby, hockey, football, swimming and netball tours for school teams of all ages and abilities. Opposition teams and schools for each sport are always willing to play against touring sides and Abraham Moss School enjoyed some quality fixtures and the pupils made some great friends during the post-match hospitality.

Our Malta school sports tours are generally placed in hotels in Bugibba or Silema where there is plenty to do but the nightlife is not as bustling as the party capital of the island, St Julians. Abraham Moss stayed in the Topaz Hotel, a fantastic 4* hotel that handles a lot of our youth and school sports tours to Malta with games room and social areas, clean, secure and comfortable rooms, swimming pool in a great location. That's enough about Malta we'll let the school sports tour coordinator talk you through his opinion of the tour that Tours 4 Sport provided. "30 Pupils and 4 Staff set off on a 5 night sports tour to Malta, for most pupils this was a first time on a plane and certainly the first time away from family for 5 nights.Throughout the tour pupils were engaged in numerous sporting, educational, social, religious enjoyable opportunities whether this was the visit to Valetta (Malta’s historical Capital City), group bowling, meal out at a healthy Maltese restaurant or even just fun games in the swimming pool.

The educational trip provided pupils with many different experiences and was excellent to see them engaging with pupils from a different country, many of whom have stayed in contact via social networking sites. Pupils were also responsible for the cleanliness of their room and were tasked with cleaning duties each day. Rooms were then checked by staff, who believe this will provide the pupils with a life skill. The tour was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience life as a full time athlete as the pupils were expected to eat and drink like athletes and also train or play a game each day.

This outstanding trip has also increased cohesion between the group of people that were on the tour as they are all now one big group and not little groups as they were when we first identified the pupils. This has also helped to introduce other members of the community to each other through parents' evenings for the Malta Sports Tour.The pupils who attended the tour have also created a notice board for the school corridor and have presented lots of information via a school assembly."

If you're interested in a sports tour to Malta then contact our Malta expert Daniel Smith on 0800 0433887 or e-mail dan@tours4.com.

If you’re after a sports tour with a tournament, coaching, activities and everything included then consider the Malta Rally which has 9 different sports on offer for school teams aged 14-18. The Malta Rally takes place every Easter and October during the school holidays and you can find more information click the link below:

Malta Rally School Sports Tournament.

Manchester Rugby Tour - Langley Park U14's

2010-11-23T18:18:00.001Z

During the half term holidays, Langley Park School for Boys U14's travelled to the North West for a 4 night tour with Tours 4 Sport. With our local knowledge of Manchester, they had a fantastic itinerary, which included friendly fixtures for their A and B teams, Sale Sharks Coaching, Premiership Rugby, paintballing and more....

Manchester is one of our most popular UK sports tour destinations, particularly for rugby where we have good links with local clubs. The group left early from South East London on the Friday and arrived at St Ambrose College in Altrincham with time to stretch the legs and prepare for their first tour fixture. Both A and B games proved to be close encounters with Langley Park winning the A fixture and losing the B game. St Ambrose, despite having a few boys away on holidays, were great hosts and offered a test of the London school.

Following the game, the group made their way to their excellent 3 star hotel located in a pleasant village in the South of Manchester. The hotel is fantastic, our sports groups always give excellent feedback and enjoy their stay. There is free wifi, a good pub and restaurant on-site, high quality en-suite rooms with satellite TV, and outstanding leisure facilities including a pool. Travelling up from London and playing in their first fixtures made for a long day so Friday evening was used to relax and we organised food at the hotel for them.

Saturday morning started with an excellent breakfast to give the boys fuel for the day ahead. This morning we had organised a 2 hour coaching session at Didsbury Toc H RFC with Sale Sharks academy coaches. It was a beautiful morning and they arrived at the club bright and early where they were met by myself and two of the coaches from Sale Sharks. Dan the Head Coach had requested minimal contact so the focus was on handling and decision making which helped them sharpen up for their next fixtures on the Sunday. As part of the package, the boys received Sale Sharks memorabilia to take away with them. After heading back to the hotel for freshen up, the players managed to have some time to relax at the hotel after their coaching session, using the pool, sauna and steam room.

We had organised an afternoon at a local rugby club for the group which we use for our pre season training camps. It has excellent facilities including a 9-hole pitch and putt golf course, 4G rugby pitch, 3G 5-aside pitch and a well equipped club house. Half the group enjoyed some golf while some preferred to watch Burnage 1st XV play Wilmslow 1st XV, a local derby and a also played on the new 4G pitch which was a novelty. A good afternoon was had by all and further fun was organised in the evening with ten-pin bowling at a local entertainment centre 5 minutes from the hotel.

Sunday was another early start with a 9 am departure for the second a final fixtures of the tour at Lymm RFC in Cheshire. Both A and B teams played against Lymm A and B in competitive games with the A side losing 26-7 and the B's winning. Lymm were great hosts and Langley Park were keen to reciprocate and offer them a return fixture in the future. See the match report below courtesy of Lymm RFC coach Steve Downes:

Another great morning of rugby at Beechwood. Lymm hosted touring team Langley Park school for boys from Bromley who brought 37 lads to play our 1st and 2nd teams.The A team game was an excellent match with the visitors showing some great defence to keep a dominant Lymm away from the whitewash in the first half, before their very classy 8 broke away and scored against the run of play. The try was converted for the visitors to go into half time ahead 7 - 0. At the start of the second half, Alex Mansfield-Hickman marked his return to the first time with one of his trademark chase and poach tries. it was like he'd never been away! Lymm's back row then began to run the game and Johnstone, Diamond and McGrail were the standout players for the rest of the game. They not only delivered quality ball for the backs which centre Harris scored a fine try from, they also rampaged for Johnstone and McGrail to score themselves. 10 Dixon had his kicking boots on today converting 3 of the 4 tries from distance. Much credit must go to the visitors who contributed and battled for every minute of the match.

In the second team match, Lymm were joined by their friends from Stockport to pit a Barbarians team against the visitors. What a feast of attacking rugby this was! In the first half the visitors were well on top going into half time 4 tries to 1 in the lead. But the arrival of a couple of subs livened The Barbarians up in the second half to pull the game back, just narrowly failing to pull off an amazing come back, in the end losing 5 tries to 6. Everyone enjoyed this game.

Thanks to the visitors for their fine rugby and sporting attitude - excellent guests.

After post match food and drink it was on to Headingley in Leeds. Unfortunately Sale Sharks were not playing at home over the weekend but we had organised tickets for the group to see Leeds Carnegie v London Wasps in the Aviva Premiership. Wasps edged the game 17-8 in a close game. Sunday evening was spent relaxing at the hotel after a good day of rugby.

Langley Park spent their last day enjoying Paintballing at a venue not far away in Cheshire. We had booked out the venue for the day where they had exclusive use of the site and by all accounts were trigger happy using over 10,000 paintballs! Some of the coaches had the bruises to show for it.

The group departed on Tuesday morning having had an excellent 5 days away in the North West. Tours 4 wish the school the best of luck for the remainder of the season and hope to be able to work with them again next year.

Manchester is one of our preferred sports tour destinations where we can add that little something extra with excellent sports facilities, accommodation and local fixture opportunities.

Contact us on info@tours4.com or 0800 043 3887 for full details.

Manchester RFC junior colts in Portugal

2010-11-04T17:27:00.001Z

Over the October half term holidays, Manchester RFC U17s travelled to Porto with Tours 4 Sport. They spent 5 days in Portugal's second city, playing fixtures - and receiving excellent hospitality - in both Porto and Coimbra.

This age group are one of several at Manchester RFC who have travelled with Tours 4 Sport in the past as well as hosted visiting tour groups with us, and we were delighted to work with them on their tour to Portugal. Lisbon is a popular destination for rugby and football tours, but Manchester were to find that Porto and Coimbra had plenty to offer as well.

Following an early morning flight from Liverpool, 49 tourists arrived at Porto airport on Sunday, where they were met by our friendly, local ground agents. As well as knowing the area, our reps really know their rugby so they get along well and are of great assistance to our touring teams. We had organised private coach transfers to their excellent 3 star city centre hotel which would be their base for the next four nights. After checking in and a quick orientation of the local area, the group were free to enjoy the beautiful city set on the banks of the Douro river.

Before the rugby got underway, the group were able to enjoy Porto, bathed in sunshine. What a pleasant change for a bunch of Mancunians to be in shorts and t-shirt in October! Players and parents alike sampled some great food in the local restaurants, and some saw the city and its famous bridges from a boat tour on the river.

We also organised free entry into one of the famous Port Houses. Following some tasting, not all of the bottles purchased lasted long enough to make it home! Helpful guides are able to describe the port-making process and history, and the venue is really impressive, some may say intoxicating!

This wasn't just a city tour though. This was a rugby tour, and we pride ourselves on our ability to organise good quality friendly fixtures with suitable hosts. The two games which Manchester were to play offered the right blend of competitive rugby and warm hospitality afterwards, which is what a good club rugby tour is all about in our opinion.

Portugal are an improving rugby nation, but we are always impressed by the standard of coaching in their clubs, and they are producing some good young players. Manchester are a talented team themselves, but they were pushed close here, winning 17- 7 in Porto and 8 - 3 in Coimbra. After both games they shared food, drinks, songs, speeches and awards with their welcoming hosts. Good Portuguese sides love the opportunity to test themselves against opposition from the UK, and both hosts did themselves proud on and off the field here.

Manchester's tour organiser Neil James left us a message on behalf of his Junior Colts: "Just wanted to say what a great time Manchester junior colts had on tour in Porto. The tour was well organized and our rep in Porto was fantastic – very keen to help organize both visits to the port factories and to help us with both booking of restaurants and finding our way around Porto during the days there. The Rugby we played there was great , the teams were very competitive and of a very good standard, and the hospitality we received was outstanding. The Portuguese teams are very keen to receive teams from other countries and I would consider arranging another tour there in the future.

Thanks for all your help and organization on what was a great trip"

Tours 4 Sport organise junior rugby tours in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra. Contact us on 0800 043 3887 or info@tours4.com to discuss your requirements with one of our knowledgeable tour managers.

European Adult Cricket Tours

2010-11-01T13:48:00.006Z

Here at Tours 4 Sport we've been organising cricket tours to European destinations for years. You no longer have to settle for the same old 5 day, mid-week tour to Devon staying in a run-down bed and breakfast with 3 fixtures, two of which will probably be rained off.

We specialise in cricket tours to destinations throughout Europe including Estonia, La Manga (near Alicante in Spain), Amsterdam, Cyprus and Malta. Cricket Tours manager Daniel Smith gives more information on each of the destinations below.

Tallinn, Estonia

Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia is not only beautiful, it's also one of the most up-and-coming cricket tour destinations in the world. Estonia has plenty of culture mixed with the most incredible nightlife and friendly people. During daylight Tallinn is full of fantastic architecture, museums and monuments, but don't be decieved, Tallinn may well be the new party capital of Europe! The city is jam-packed full of casinos, clubs, pubs and bars filled with the gorgeous, friendly locals and tourists alike. Cricket fixtures are played against one of the local club sides or the Estonian national side depending on your level and it's played by ex-pats from India, the UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia as well as keen locals and they welcome any help with taking kit or coaching sessions to local schools.

Ice Cricket in Estonia

Ice Cricket is a pretty simple concept. It's cricket played on ice, on a frozen lake or in a Soviet Missile Factory, we've organised some great Ice Cricket tournaments for teams of all ages and abilities over the years. You could be playing Ice Cricket over 4 days in Tallinn including 3*/4* hotel, all resort transfers, Ice Cricket Tournament, Full-time chaperone, Banquet meal and prize giving plus loads of extra activities including karting, snowmobiling, shooting, curling and more from only £199 plus flights for a 2 night tour. Visit www.IceCricket.co.uk, call the office now on 0800 0433887 or download the Ice Cricket Brochure for more information.

La Manga, Spain

For an all year round, warm weather cricket resort in Europe, you won’t find anywhere better suited than La Manga. A sportsman’s paradise, the luxury resort offers cricket tours at an affordable price. How tough it can be to find a suitable cricket tour without paying to travel long haul to South Africa, Australia or the Carribean, it’s hard to find dependable weather at out of season venues. La Manga resort can solve all those problems. International and professional football and rugby sides come to La Manga for pre and mid-season camps, but now Tours 4 Sport are able to open up the La Manga resort to your amateur cricket side, without breaking the bank. The resort is on the South Eastern tip of Spain, in the Murcia region, close to Cartagena town. As large as Monaco, there is everything you would need in the resort: shops, banks, pharmacy, post office, restaurants and bars, plus of course the unrivalled sports facilities. Access to indoor and outdoor pools, sauna and fitness suite is all included in your price.

Amsterdam, Holland

Whether it be for the…ahem…‘coffee shops’ and red light district, or the architecture, canals and history, Amsterdam is an excellent tour base for your next cricket tour. The city has a lot more to it than liberal drug and sex industries. There are plenty of markets, restaurants, canals, museums and galleries to keep you on the straight and narrow.

Leidseplein is a great place to eat and drink with street entertainers galore, Boom Chicago comedy club is a great place to start the night and then head off to Rembrandt square and Dam Square before ending up on Warmoeastratt. Depending on your tour party it might not be such a good idea to end up in the red light district but it really has to be seen to be believed!

Limassol, Cyprus

Located in the Eastern Meditteranean Sea, Cyprus is a fantastic destination for cricket tours. With year-round sunshine and some fantastic beaches, Cyprus offers cricket teams a summer tour all year round. We have several lively tour destinations on Cyprus that are ideal for all adult and student sports teams. It's easy to get carried away in the nightlife, which is second to none but Cyprus is a beautiful Island with a rich history. We recommend a 3 to 7 night tour to make the most of your time on Cyprus or why not combine a cricket tour with a holiday.

Malta

Malta is a great destination for a cricket tour for teams of all ages, budgets and abilities. Malta is situated in the Mediterranean just South of Italy an with flights available from Manchester, London and the Midlands it's easily accesible for most sports teams from the UK. Valetta and St Julians are the two resorts that are popular with sports tourists of all ages with lively nightlife and plenty to do during the day. You can use Malta to relax and unwind or party the night away, the choice is yours. Cricket is played at the Marsa Sports Club and the fixture list at the club gets full so make sure you book early so we can guarantee availability

If you would like a quote for any of these destinations or if you're interested in a long-haul destination like South Africa, Barbados, Australia, Dubai or New Zealand then get in touch with our cricket tours manager Daniel Smith by calling 0800 0433887 or e-mail info@tours4sport.com. We'll get a quote to you straight away so you can take it to your team and get the ball rolling.

European sports tours by Coach Travel

2010-10-31T16:00:00.002Z

With the rising costs of flying to Europe and the proposed rise in fuel surcharges, travelling by coach and ferry is a more affordable way of going on tour.

Sports Tour Manager Sean Bishop reviews a few of our more popular destinations in Europe accessible by coach and ferry, including Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris, Lille, and Cologne.

Our privately booked executive coaches collect you from your club/school and will take you over to Europe for a 3 or 4 day tour. Here's a brief list of the advantages of using coach travel with Tours 4 for your next tour:

Very economical.

Travel in comfort- all coaches we use are smooth and comfortable. Arrive fresh and ready to go.

Onboard toilet and refreshments available - plus regular comfort stops to stretch your legs or eat.

Door to door transport. No complicated airport transfers.

No airport style queues, confusion and delays.

No airline baggage restrictions.

No lost or misrouted baggage.

Coach and driver available for all fixtures and activities (within legal limits)

Possibility of sightseeing en route

Importantly, coach travel also makes the group organiser's job easier, not only when planning the trip but also during the tour itself. Group supervision is much easier and also allows flexibility when at your destination for activities and sightseeing.

Antwerp Sports Tours

Antwerp is an excellent base for a tour of Europe’s lowlands. Quicker to reach than Amsterdam, the city still offers a great city base for youth and adult groups alike. The sport, the city and the excursions in your itinerary make Antwerp a superb touring venue.

Antwerp is an old port town with a great nightlife, ideal for a lively senior or university sports teams. The city centre is fairly small with the Grote Markt packed full of pubs including a great Irish bar 'The Irish Times'. This was particularly popular with Guinness Rugby Club who toured with us to Antwerp in 2010.

The city is approximately 35 miles north of the historic city of Brussels and also close to the Dutch border, meaning you can play your pre-arranged fixtures in either country. Antwerp boasts over 2,000 pubs, cafés, jazz bars and a whole host of night-clubs. The Belgians are also famous for their relaxed culture and hospitality. There is so much sightseeing to do, you will never be bored throughout your stay.

Why not explore some of the many squares and mazed streets of the Old Quarter or maybe check out the dozens of diamond shops which are what the city is most famous for.
Belgium is also home to an impressive number of tournaments over April and May every year, all offered by us here at Tours4. This includes:

Colts Rugby - Gent Easter Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
Senior Rugby Mens - Gent Easter Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
Senior Rugby Womens - Gent Easter Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
Senior Rugby Mens (10s) - Wakke Memorial Rugby Tournament - May 2011
Senior Rugby Womens (10s) - Wakke Memorial Rugby Tournament - May 2011
Senior Rugby Mens - Flanders Open Tens Rugby Tournament - May 2011
Senior Rugby Womens - Flanders Open Tens Rugby Tournament - May 2011
Junior Football - Hageland Cup Youth Football Tournament, Aarschot - May 2011

2 hours from Calais, or a little over an hour from Rotterdam, it’s quick, cheap and simple to get to Antwerp from the North or South of the UK by coach. This means that you can travel around during your stay to get the most out of your trip. This is another advantage of tours to the lowlands – everything is so close together. From your Antwerp base you can reach Brussels, Gent and Bruges in comfortably under an hour, and Lille and Amsterdam in well under two.

We have a variety of accommodation options, from holiday park accommodation within driving distance of the city to our popular city centre 3* Hotel, absolutely ideal for youth and adult tour groups. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the en-suite rooms will ensure you enjoy a comfortable stay during your time in Belgium.

Prices for 4 day, 3 night packages including travel, accommodation and 2 fixtures start from as low as £199 per person.

Amsterdam Sports Tours

The Netherlands is one of our more popular touring cities due to its proximity to the UK and because English is widely spoken throughout. A sports mad country, with excellent facilities and high participation levels at all ages, you can expect a warm welcome from your hosts. The small size of the country means it is easy to travel to other cities to play games, which allows you to see different parts of the country as well. The city of Amsterdam itself is magnificent. A range of impressive architecture leans over a criss-cross of canals spanned by foot bridges, surrounded at ground level by cafés and restaurants. The grand Dam Square is the focal point of the city, and further South West there is the Museum quarter.

The pick of the museums would be the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum and Rembrandhuis for art, and Anne Frank House for a personal and historic view of persecution during the War. Non-school youth groups might prefer something more lively and interactive, and the Amsterdam Dungeon would be a great place to start! Ajax stadium tours are also well suited to sports groups on tour. Adult groups might prefer to head down to the Heineken Experience!

So, plenty to keep you occupied when you’re not playing your fixtures then. However, if you want to venture out of the city, you won’t be disappointed. Holland has a beautiful coastline- Bloemendaal is a lively beach resort with numerous bars overlooking the sandy beach. Nordwijk is a little further south, and the sandy beach again makes it popular with Vollendam for the day.

Back into the capital, and the nightlife here is legendary. Pubs, bars, cafés, coffee shops and nightclubs open until breakfast. The biggest challenge for our adult groups is getting back to the hotel in time for breakfast!

Coach travel to Amsterdam takes between 4 and 5 hours from Calais after the ferry. If you're travelling from the North then travel overnight, during the day or stop off en route to break the journey up. There are also ferry options from Hull to Rotterdam, this is an overnight ferry.

Like Belgium, Holland offers plenty of tournaments over the Spring period, all accessible from the Amsterdam area.

Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - Easter 2011
Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - May 2011
Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - May 2011
Adult Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - June 2011
Veterans Football - Overamstel Football Tournament Amsterdam - May 2011
Junior Football - Holland Easter Classic Youth Football Tournament - Easter 2011
Junior Football - Amsterdam Cup Football Tournament - May 2011
Adult Rugby - Leiden Diok Mens and Womens Rugby Tournament, Leiden - Easter 2011
Adult Rugby - Dukes Rugby Club Tens Rugby Tournament - May 2011
Adult Rugby - Octopus Uden Adult Rugby Tournament - August 2011
Veterans Rugby - Hilversum Vets Rugby Tournament, Hilversum - Easter 2011
Veterans Rugby - Westlands Old Boys Veterans Rugby Tournament, Hague - May 2011
Junior Rugby - Hilversum Youth Rugby Tournament - Easter 2011
Adult Mixed Hockey - Heerhugowaard Mixed Hockey Tournament - Easter 2011

We can offer a great range of accommodation options to suit all groups including hostels, hotels and a range of accommodation close to the beaches. For youth groups, Noordwijk offers easy access to the Hague and Amsterdam so why not combine your tour with a day trip to 'the Dam'.

Many of our groups stay at Stayokay Hostels, a trusted and excellent chain of youth hostels in The Netherlands. The hostels have been built in a range of beautiful buildings and offer a wide variety of room types including bunk or double beds in two, four or six bedded dormitories with all residents receiving bed linen on arrival and breakfast included. Every Stayokay hostel has a warm friendly bar, terrace and on-site restaurant to accommodate your touring team’s needs and requirements. .

Over Easter weekend 2011 we are offering the following packages in Holland, suitable for U13 through to U19 teams.

4 days' executive coach hire.
Return Dover - Calais - Dover ferry crossings.
3 nights' half board accommodation in Noordwijk, Haarlem or Amsterdam.
Optional friendly fixture on Easter Saturday.
Entry into Easter Sunday rugby tournament, including food at tournament.
Itinerary planning service.

With prices starting from just £230 per person, this offers outstanding value for money.

Paris Sports Tours

Because of it's proximity to the UK, Northern France is a popular choice for a sports tour, minimising travel time but with the opportunity for your group to experience a different culture and play sport in a different environment. At Tours 4 we have excellent links throughout France, with Paris and Lille being our most popular destinations.

Paris doesn't need much introduction, it is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is simply a brilliant rugby destination. Most first time visitors will be surprised at how many images of the city they have absorbed already - Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and of course the Sacré Coeur. The Eiffel Tower may have been seen as an eyesore when it was first built but today it is an icon for the city. You will have the opportunity to gaze across the landscape from the third level of the tower and take in the stunning views of the city.

In Paris there are numerous options for sports tours, including football, rugby, hockey and basketball. Why not travel over a Six Nations weekend in February or March and watch France play at the Stade de France. At Tours4, we have access to international tickets so can include this as part of your tour package. Accommodation options include 2 and 3* hotels in the centre of Paris. All our hotels are group friendly and are chosen with sports groups in mind.

Paris can be reached from Calais in three hours.

You will be accommodated in a 2 or 3* Hotel in the centre of Paris. The hotels we use have been specifically chosen as a group friendly venue and are within easy access of the main sights.

Prices per person start from £210 per person.

Lille Sports Tours

Lille is the third largest city in France and is often ignored by sports teams. It has a strong Belgian influence, excellent museums, a big student population, a great mix of bars, restaurants, clubs and the world renowned Grande Braderie (Europe's biggest flea market).

Our strong links with French clubs allows us to offer you some unique and great friendly fixtures, for all ages and levels. All fixtures will be within 45 minutes drive of Lille.

Tours4 can organise sports tours to Lille, particularly senior or junior rugby tours. Your accommodation will give easy access to the city centre and fixtures are always within a short drive of the city.

There are a host of activities you can undertake in your ‘off-time’ while on tour in Lille.

Paintballing, Gokarting, 10-Pin Bowling, Kayaking, Canoeing or Laser Quest. For the more
educational and cultural of groups, why not head to the World War 2 museum that pays
tribute to the French Resistance.

Other points of interest:

Star shaped Citadel - Louis IXV, the Sun King, having just conquered the town of Lille, wished to fortify it with a citadel. It remains the largest and the best preserved citadel in France. Certainly worth a visit, only open to the public on Sundays.
Palais des Beaux-Arts (free for groups)

Situated within 1 hour 30 minutes from Calais, your team could be staying in the wonderful City of Lille in next to no time.

Prices for a 4 day, 3 night tour to Lille start from £199 per person.

Cologne Sports Tours

Germany is growing in popularity as a sports tour destination, for both youth and adult groups.

It is also an up and coming rugby nation and there is an abundance of clubs who are of a good standard and keen to welcome touring sides for a competitive game of rugby. The Cologne area has one of the largest concentrations of rugby teams in the country, whilst hockey and football are also popular sports within the area.

Cologne (Köln), Germany's oldest city, is full of history and architecture. Just walking around this city you will stumble across an ancient Roman wall, medieval churches galore, postwar buildings and avant-garde museums and concert halls. It is Germany's fourth-largest city, founded by the Romans in 38 BC, has a long list of sightseeing attractions. For our adult groups, The Altstadt is also the best place to sample Kölsch, the refreshing local brew, in beer halls rivalling those in Bavaria. The city also has the highest concentration of pubs and clubs per capita in Germany, with a vibrant club scene.

Cologne is located near the Belgian border and is between 4 and 5 hours from Calais so it is ideal for groups travelling from the South of England.

Cologne Crusaders Cup 2011 (29 April - 2 May 2011) - Now in it's fifth year, this one day 15-a-tournament is ideal for social touring teams. Over the past years teams from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Holland have all participated at the event and enjoyed the social ambience that Cologne Crusaders Rugby Club are famous for.

Prices for 4 day tours to Cologne start from as low as £195 per person - this is based on B and B accommodation.

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Our typical four-day European tours include coach travel throughout, hotel or hostel accommodation on B&B or half board basis for 3 nights, matches on day 2 and/or day 3 against local opposition, and our assistance throughout. We try and match suitable opposition within an hour of your accommodation and following the games your team will enjoy post-match hospitality with your hosts. We will also book activities/excursions that you may wish to do during any free time.

Travelling by coach enables you to keep the costs down and allows more people to share the fixed cost of transport.

For more information or to book one of these popular European destinations, please contact Tours 4 Sport today on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com

Portugal Youth Rugby Festival

2010-10-29T09:05:00.001+01:00

Tours 4 Sport is pleased to present the Portugal Youth Rugby Festival, to be held in Lisbon on the weekend of 16/17 April 2011. Fast becoming one of the most popular European youth rugby tournaments, get your team involved next year. Details of our 4, 5 and 6 day packages below.

This is an excellent tournament in a wonderful European capital city. We can provide all the low-down here for you.

When?
The actual tournament is a two day event, taking place on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th April 2011. Packages range from 4 to 6 days arriving between Wednesday 13th and Friday 15th April.

Who?
Careful here, there is a difference between an English age category (with players born between September and August) and a European one (with players born between January and December). Your tour manager from Tours 4 Sport will help you get this right.

U13 Category: Players born 1998 & 1999.
U15 Category: Players born 1996 & 1997
U17 Category: Players born 1994 & 1995
U19 Category: Players born 1992 & 1993
Note: at each category, any UK team can have up to 5 'UK eligible, European over-age' players on the field at any one time. In reality this makes the tournament a feasible option for U12s, U14s, U16s & U18s, plus U13s, 15s, 17s & 19s who are confident that they can always field a team with the prerequisite number of players born January-onwards.

Where?

The tour will be based around Lisbon. The rugby takes place at the excellent pitches of the National Stadium Complex in the Jamor Valley, Lisbon. The majority of teams stay at the official tournament holiday park, which is a short coach transfer from the tournament venue, within easy driving distance of the city centre, and is set amongst beautiful forest, with plenty of on-site attractions including swimming pool.

The rugby.

The tournament is a very well run event, organised by the Portuguese Federation. 2011 will be the third edition of the event, building on two quality tournaments so far. Last year 64 teams competed over the 4 categories, which included sides from England, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sri Lanka and France. The pitches are very good quality and the finals generate good crowds. There will be a medical presence at the tournament plus of course bars and catering stands as well as other attractions. On the Sunday evening there will be an awards ceremony and party with live music. As rugby is a developing sport in Portugal, the national rugby federation put a lot of effort and resources behind this tournament, which the following video demonstrates:

The pointers below should help you with the basics of how the tournament works.

Pitch size: U13 & U15 play across half a pitch; U17 & U19 play on full size pitch.
Players: U13 is 10-a-side, U15 is 12-a-side, U17 & U19 are 15-a-side.
Pitch type. U13 is on 3G, U15 & U17 on grass, U19 on both grass and 3G.
Game duration: U13 & U15 both play 2 x 10 minutes; U17 & U19 play 2 x 15 minutes.
Number of games: All ages expect to play 3 group games on Saturday, followed by 2 or 3 knockout games on Sunday.

Accommodation

The most popular and affordable accommodation is in chalets at the holiday park. This is a safe, comfortable and affordable option, and hosts the majority of visiting teams during their stay. It is situated just 8km to the west of Lisbon and is set amid a 900 hectare forest park. The chalets are 4 berth units with en-suite facilities, kitchenette and balcony. On-site facilities include restaurant, bar, shop, outdoor swimming pool and tennis court.

What's included?

We have 4, 5 and 6 day packages. They all include the following:

Meet & Greet from our local, bilingual staff.
Return airport transfers upon arrival and departure in Lisbon.
Entry into the 2011 Portugal Youth Rugby Tournament
3/4/5 nights' half board (breakfast and evening meal) accommodation in your chosen venue.
Return transfers to both tournament days.
Free admission into all activites and associated events at the tournament.
Tournament gifts, including an event T-shirt.
Itinerary planning service.
Payment protection insurance.

5 night package also includes half day Lisbon city tour.

6 day package includes the half day tour, plus an additional friendly fixture against a local club, including return coach transfers from and to your accommodation.

Prices

6 days 3* hotel: £410
6 days hostel/holiday park: £330
5 days 3* hotel: £330
5 days hostel/holiday park £265
4 days 3* hotel: £260
4 days hostel/holiday park £210

These prices exclude flights. Flights can be organised in one of two ways. You can source your own flights with budget airlines, or we can book flights for you. Easyjet fly to Lisbon from Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London Gatwick, Luton. BA fly from London Heathrow.

For your chance to compete in this great tournament, contact Tours 4 Sport today on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com

Capitals Cup Edinburgh Easter Rugby Tournament

2010-10-28T11:39:00.002+01:00

Two day rugby tournament at Edinburgh's most historic club for U16 & U17/18 categories as part of a four day package. Combine a stay in one of the UK's most attractive cities with a quality rugby tournament for your next tour.

The emphasis here is on fewer teams and longer fixtures, giving teams an opportunity to play good rugby. More details below.

2011 will be the third edition of the Capitals Cup Edinburgh, exclusively available to Tours 4 Sport customers. The tournament will be held on Easter weekend, with rugby played on 23rd & 24th April 2011. 4 day tour packages start on Friday 22nd April, through to Monday 25th April.

There are two age categories, Under 16 and Under 18. We strongly believe that at this age, teams deserve the opportunity to build a game in realistic match conditions, not play a few short, frantic games punctuated by long gaps between games. As such, we limit the number of entries to a maximum of 8 teams in each category. Games are 15-a-side and last 2 x 15 minutes. Group games are played on Saturday and knock out finals are played on Sunday. Scottish union referees will be used to officiate. There will be 1st Aid assistance, BBQ running throughout the weekend and of course the bar will be open.

The venue for the tournament is the historic Raeburn Place, home to Edinburgh Academicals Football Club, the oldest rugby club in Scotland, second oldest in the world, and venue of the first ever Calcutta Cup game. The club remains one of the best in the country and has produced players like Mike Blair, the Scotland and British Lions scrum half. Mike dropped in to present the trophies in our 2009 edition.

As well as the rugby, the tournament package includes BBQ food item for tourists on both tournament days, plus hot food for everyone after the finals on Sunday afternoon. Trophies are awarded to the winners and all teams are given a framed team photograph to take back to their clubs.

Edinburgh is a magnificent destination for a rugby tour. The city's architecture makes it one of the UK's most attractive cities, but there is also a lot more to enjoy. Princes Street and the famous Royal Mile form the city's backbone, leading from Holyrood Park all the way up to Edinburgh Castle, with a vast selection of shops, restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions in between. A couple of minutes to the South is Cowgate and the Grassmarket, another popular spot in the evenings. And just to the North is George Street and the 'new town', home to the trendy shops, boutiques and cafes. Close by, a couple of minutes' walk from Waverley Station is the Playhouse theatre and the Omni centre, home to a cinema, several chain restaurants and bars. Our touring groups in the past have also enjoyed tours of the impressive Murrayfield Stadium, ghost tours in the city, a trip into the Edinburgh Dungeon. Within driving distance of the city centre you can also reach the coast, which offers some good beaches as well as the Royal Yacht Britannia in dock at Leith. Groups have travelled to go karting, paintball and the climbing wall on previous tours, and we can organise advance bookings at all of these attractions as part of our itinerary planning service.

We use a range of accommodation in central Edinburgh which has been tried and tested with our junior tours over the years. There is a lot of poor quality accommodation in the city, and lots of very expensive hotels too. Finding something which is central, affordable and comfortable can be a challenge, but we've done all that for you. We use two city centre venues, both of them situated within 5 minutes' walk of all the major attractions. Groups will be accommodated in multi-bedded en-suite rooms, on bed and breakfast basis. 24 hour reception, internet stations, bar and restaurant all on-site, making a perfect base for your Edinburgh tour.

Our packages also include private executive coach hire. Our 49 seat coaches come equipped with WC, air conditioning, DVD/video player, lap belts. Our friendly drivers will pick you up at your home club on Good Friday, drive you to Edinburgh and remain with you throughout the weekend, returning home on Easter Monday.

Prices start from just £225 per person and include:

4 days' executive coach hire.
3 nights' city centre accommodation on bed and breakfast basis.
2 days' rugby, including

BBQ food on both days.
Post tournament dinner.
Awards & team photo.

Staff assistance throughout the weekend.
Itinerary planning service.

We can arrange local coach transfers for groups looking to arrive by air; contact us for more details.

To combine excellent rugby and a brilliant tour city without breaking the bank, contact us today on 0800 043 3887 or email info@tours4.com

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