Countdown to the Clash – Leiria readies for DNA U20 showdown
8th September 2025
With just under two weeks left until the first starting pistol is fired, organisers in Leiria, Portugal, are putting final touches on preparations for the fourth edition of the Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) U20 Clubs, dubbed the Clash of the Clubs IV, which will take place at the Dr Magalhães Pessoa Stadium on 20 and 21 September.
The city, with its normally sunny late-summer weather and extensive experience of delivering major events, including the inaugural 2009 European Athletics Team Championships and no less than six editions of European Throwing Cup (2014, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2023 and 2024), will offer rising stars from ten of Europe’s top clubs a perfect stage for the must-watch closer of the U20 season.
João Bernardo, the Sport Director of hosts Juventude Vidigalense, which will be competing in the Clash of the Clubs for the first time, reported that his club is currently working closely with city officials to ensure a good turn out of spectators.
“This is a great opportunity for our young athletes gain international competition experience. I am sure they will all enjoy making contact with competitors from the other countries and the special group dynamic of DNA will help us to grow together as a team,” he said.
Bernardo explained that many members of his current team took part in a domestic DNA event last year and almost all have watched past editions of the Clash online and therefore know what to anticipate from the format and its scoring system.
Asked about performance targets he said: “we will have a good team including two athletes who competed at last month’s European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, but we know the other teams are tough as well and that it is not easy to get big results in this event.”
Among the Juventude Vidigalense athletes Bernardo expects to do well are 17 year-old 12.09 100m sprinter Katerina Quinn and 800m star Nuno Cordeiro, 18, who brings a best time of 1:48.40.
Parallel to the preparations taking place in Leiria, online promotion of the event is ramping up with this week’s release of the official artwork kicking off the social media campaign as well as the first of the graphic digital cards for the competing teams.
Cherry Alexander, the European Athletics vice president overseeing club-level international competitions, said the media strategy is important for expanding the reach of the DNA format, which has been gaining a foothold of domestic club and school events in several countries.
“I am delighted that we can continue with the Clash of the Clubs, which provides a super end of season competition opportunity for the U20 athletes to gain experience as well as an aspirational event for clubs all around Europe.”
“But it is also really important to use social media and live streaming effectively so that everyone learns more about DNA, how it can help with retaining young athletes in the sport and how much fun it is.”
Introduced in 2019, the innovative DNA format – featuring mixed-gender teams, a compact programme, head-to-head competition in the field events where every attempt counts towards the final score and a match result that is open to the very last event – has proven to be popular with young athletes throughout Europe.
All four matches of the Clash of the Clubs IV tournament will be live streamed on European Athletics platforms.
