Foyle Cup

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The Foyle Cup is a youth soccer tournament held every year in Derry City, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Along with the SuperCupNI, which takes place around the same time, The Foyle Cup is one of Ireland and indeed Europe's premier youth tournaments.

Contents

History

The competition began in 1992 with only eight teams competing. It is seen as one of the most important and pivotal tournaments in Northern Ireland, as it presents an opportunity for the youth of Northern Ireland to show their abilities. Academy teams of such European clubs as Werder Bremen, IFK Göteborg and Ferencváros have participated in the tournament, along with teams from the U.S. and Canada in recent times. It is widely recognised as a tournament that launches the careers of young players aspiring to sign professional contracts. In 2003 former Republic of Ireland player and current Sunderland chairman, Niall Quinn launched the tournament. [1] The 2006 competition was launched by Lawrie Sanchez. [2] In June 2007, Foyle Cup chairman, Michael Hutton confirmed that the 2007 competition will feature special guest, Liverpool F.C. legend Phil Neal. The competition has been title sponsored by local businesses such as Football special cola and Hughes insurance. [3] [4] [5]

Location

All Foyle Cup matches are played around County Londonderry and the surrounding area, including Letterkenny and Strabane. Final matches are played in The Brandywell Stadium, although, from time to time, it may vary.

Notable past participants

Other regular teams to appear

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry</span> City in Northern Ireland

Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The old walled city lies on the west bank of the River Foyle, which is spanned by two road bridges and one footbridge. The city now covers both banks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Londonderry</span> County in Northern Ireland

County Londonderry, also known as County Derry, is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty two counties of Ireland and one of the nine counties of Ulster. Before the partition of Ireland, it was one of the counties of the Kingdom of Ireland from 1613 onward and then of the United Kingdom after the Acts of Union 1800. Adjoining the north-west shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,118 km2 (818 sq mi) and today has a population of about 247,132.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Letterkenny</span> Town in County Donegal, Ireland

Letterkenny, nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional economic gateway for the north-west of Ireland.

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Foyle College is a co-educational non-denominational voluntary grammar school in Derry, Northern Ireland. The school's legal name is Foyle and Londonderry College. In 1976, two local schools, Foyle College and Londonderry High School, merged under the Foyle and Londonderry College Act 1976 to form Foyle and Londonderry College. In 2011, the Board of Governors re-branded the school as 'Foyle College' and updated the school's crest.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry City F.C. Women</span> Football club

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References

  1. Niall Quinn Launches 2003 Foyle Cup Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 15 June 2007
  2. Foyle Cup launched by Sanchez retrieved 15 June 2007
  3. "Dubliners sink QPR to reach final stages" . Belfast Telegraph . 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2016 via InfoTrac Newsstand.
  4. "Celtic target treble as Foyle Cup goes from strength to strength" . Belfast Telegraph . 15 June 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2016 via InfoTrac Newsstand.
  5. "Foyle Cup 'a hughly successful tournament'". Derry Journal . 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
  6. "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  7. 1 2 3 "Isaiah Osbourne set to complete Blackpool switch". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012. Meanwhile, two goals from David Paul and another from Jay Doyle gave Hibs Under-20s a 3-1 win over Finn Harps to clinch their place in the final of the Foyle Cup in which they will face Ballymena.