SuperCupNI

Last updated

SuperCupNI
SuperCupNI.png
SuperCupNI Logo
Founded1995 (Elite)
1983 (Premier)
1985 (Junior)
RegionNorthern Ireland
Number of teams6 (Elite)
24 (Premier)
24 (Junior)
Television broadcasters BBC Northern Ireland
Website supercupni.com

SuperCupNI, formerly called the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament and the Dale Farm Milk Cup, is an international youth football tournament held annually in Northern Ireland. The cup matches are mainly played in the North Coast area of Northern Ireland, with matches taking place in the towns of Portrush, Portstewart, Castlerock, Limavady, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Ballymena and Broughshane. Mitre are the Official Ball Sponsor of the SuperCup with a specially designed Pro Max ball being used.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Logo used when the tournament was known as the Dale Farm Milk Cup Dale Farm Milk Cup.png
Logo used when the tournament was known as the Dale Farm Milk Cup

The Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament began in 1983 with sixteen teams participating at an Under 16 (Premier) level. Motherwell from Scotland were the first winners. It was founded by Jim Weir, Victor Leonard, George Logan and Bertie Peacock, one of the most famous football players from the region.[ citation needed ]

The competition was extended in 1985 when an extra age group, the Under 14 (Junior) section was introduced and again the first champions were from Scotland, as Rangers won the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament at that age level. The competition at both levels has grown in size and stature over the years, with teams increasingly travelling from all continents to compete. The Under 19 (Elite) section was introduced in 1995 with the Welsh finishing the tournament as winners. Traditionally, the finals are played at the Coleraine Showgrounds on the Friday evening.[ citation needed ]

Milk Cup Sub-16 2007. Taca Milk Cup 2007.jpg
Milk Cup Sub-16 2007.

Internationally capped footballers have taken part in the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament, such as Charlie Davies, Jonathan Spector, Paul Scholes, and Wayne Rooney have all competed at some level.[ citation needed ] In the 2002 FIFA World Cup there were 30 Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament veterans playing.[ citation needed ]

To celebrate the competition's silver jubilee, a friendly match took place between Northern Ireland and four-time junior section winners Everton at the Coleraine Showgrounds on 14 July 2007. Everton won the tie 2–0.[ citation needed ]

One of the key parts to the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament is the inclusion of six representative teams from each county of Northern Ireland – Antrim, Armagh, Londonderry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone. This system allows young players from across the province to compete against some of the best in the world at their age group.

In October 2013, the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament organising committee and lead sponsors Dairy Council released a joint statement stating that the long-term sponsors Dairy Council would be withdrawing sponsorship. [1]

In February 2014, the organisers announced that competition would be sponsored by Belfast-based company Dale Farm and that the competition would be known as the Dale Farm Milk Cup for sponsorship reasons. [2] From 2016 it has been known as the Super Cup NI. [3]

Winners

YearElite (U-19)Premier (U-16)Junior (U-14)
WinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-up
1983Founded in 1995 Flag of Scotland.svg Motherwell Ulster Banner.svg Coleraine Founded in 1985
1984 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers Flag of Scotland.svg Motherwell
1985 Flag of England.svg Newcastle United Ulster Banner.svg Coleraine Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers Ulster Banner.svg Craigavon
1986 Flag of Scotland.svg Dundee United Flag of England.svg Newcastle United Ulster Banner.svg Craigavon United Flag of England.svg Crewe Alexandra
1987 Flag of England.svg Crewe Alexandra Flag of England.svg Liverpool Flag of Scotland.svg Dundee United Flag of England.svg Crewe Alexandra
1988 Flag of England.svg Liverpool Flag of Scotland.svg Motherwell Flag of Ireland.svg Home Farm Flag of Scotland.svg Dundee United
1989 Flag of England.svg Newcastle United Flag of England.svg Manchester United Ulster Banner.svg Dungannon Swifts Flag of Ireland.svg Dublin & District Schoolboys
1990 Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of England.svg Crewe Alexandra Flag of England.svg Crewe Alexandra Flag of Scotland.svg Hibernian
1991 Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of Scotland.svg Heart of Midlothian Flag of England.svg Norwich City Flag of Scotland.svg Dundee United
1992 Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers Flag of England.svg Nottingham Forest Flag of England.svg Norwich City Flag of Scotland.svg Heart of Midlothian
1993 Flag of Ireland.svg Cherry Orchard Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia Flag of Scotland.svg Heart of Midlothian
1994 Flag of Scotland.svg Hearts Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of England.svg Middlesbrough Flag of England.svg Manchester United
1995Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of the Netherlands.svg Feyenoord Flag of England.svg Everton Flag of England.svg Norwich City
1996Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Flag of England.svg Tottenham Hotspur Flag of England.svg Blackburn Rovers Flag of England.svg West Ham United Flag of Scotland.svg Motherwell
1997Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of England.svg Middlesbrough Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of England.svg West Ham United Flag of England.svg Middlesbrough
1998Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Flag of England.svg West Ham United Flag of England.svg Crewe Alexandra Flag of England.svg West Ham United
1999 Flag of Brazil.svg Vitória Flag of England.svg Crewe Alexandra Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of England.svg Manchester City Flag of England.svg Everton
2000Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Flag of England.svg Manchester City Flag of England.svg Charlton Athletic Flag of England.svg Manchester City
2001Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Flag of Scotland.svg  Scotland Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of England.svg Norwich City Flag of Scotland.svg Heart of Midlothian
2002Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of England.svg Leeds United Flag of Greece.svg Panathinaikos Flag of England.svg Everton Flag of Brazil.svg Botafogo
2003Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of England.svg Preston North End Flag of Argentina.svg Racing Club Flag of Scotland.svg Heart of Midlothian
2004Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Flag of Scotland.svg Heart of Midlothian Flag of Ireland.svg Belvedere Flag of Israel.svg Maccabi Haifa Flag of England.svg Everton
2005 Flag of the United States.svg USA Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Spain.svg Barcelona Flag of England.svg Chelsea Flag of Denmark.svg Lyngby Flag of Russia.svg CSKA Moscow
2006Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay Flag of the United States.svg USA Flag of Russia.svg Spartak Moscow Flag of Austria.svg Rapid Vienna Flag of England.svg Swindon Town Flag of Ireland.svg Crumlin United
2007Flag of Israel.svg  Israel Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Brazil.svg Fluminense Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of Mexico.svg Guadalajara Flag of Ireland.svg St. Kevin's Boys FC
2008Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Chile.svg  Chile Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of the United States.svg South Coast Bayern Flag of England.svg Everton Flag of England.svg Wolverhampton Wanderers
2009 Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of England.svg Sheffield United Flag of England.svg Everton Flag of England.svg Watford
2010 Flag of the United States.svg USA Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Senegal.svg Étoile Lusitana Flag of England.svg Bolton Wanderers Flag of England.svg Chelsea Flag of Mexico.svg Cruz Azul
2011 Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Qatar.svg Aspire Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of England.svg Everton Flag of Mexico.svg Cruz Azul
2012 Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark Flag of Brazil.svg Desportivo Brasil Flag of England.svg Newcastle United Flag of England.svg Brentford Flag of England.svg Everton
2013 Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of England.svg Manchester United Ulster Banner.svg County Tyrone Flag of England.svg Everton Ulster Banner.svg County Antrim
2014Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of France.svg Vendée Flag of Brazil.svg Corinthians Ulster Banner.svg County Antrim
2015not held Ulster Banner.svg County Antrim Flag of Mexico.svg Club América Flag of Ghana.svg Right to Dream Flag of England.svg Southampton
2016 Flag of England.svg Everton Flag of Scotland.svg Celtic Flag of Chile.svg O'Higgins Flag of Scotland.svg Hibernian Flag of Ghana.svg Right to Dream Ulster Banner.svg County Londonderry
2017 Flag of England.svg Manchester United Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland Flag of Ghana.svg Right to Dream Flag of Mexico.svg Club América Ulster Banner.svg County Antrim Flag of the United States.svg GPS Bayern
2018not held Flag of Italy.svg B Italia Ulster Banner.svg County Down Ulster Banner.svg County Antrim Flag of England.svg Manchester United
2019not held Flag of Spain.svg Valencia Flag of England.svg Newcastle United Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers FC Flag of England.svg Charlton Athletic

The competition wasn't played in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Manchester United's under-16s played 3 challenge matches against Coleraine, Ballymena United and Linfield.

YearPremierJuniorYouth (U-14)Minor (U-13)
WinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-upWinnerRunner-up
2022 Flag of England.svg Ipswich Town Ulster Banner.svg County Antrim Flag of England.svg Manchester United Flag of Scotland.svg Rangers FC Flag of England.svg Charlton Athletic Ulster Banner.svg Glenavon Flag of the United States.svg Surf Select Ulster Banner.svg Glentoran
2023County LondonderryTigres UANLWest Ham UnitedCounty Antrimnot heldGlasgow CelticDungannon United Youth

Notable players

Media coverage

Since 2005 the Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament has been broadcast on BBC Northern Ireland, taking over from UTV. This has led to much more media coverage as matches from Finals Night are broadcast on BBC Two Northern Ireland. Usually these are from the Premier and Elite section featuring highlights of the junior game which happens earlier in the afternoon. Some Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament matches are broadcast on BBC Two NI, made available to the rest of the UK via BBCi and the BBC Sport website and some other Milk Cup matches are broadcast online. The coverage is usually hosted by Stephen Watson, with commentary by BBC commentators such as Jackie Fullerton, Michael McNamee, Paul Gilmour, Joel Taggart, Grant Cameron and punditry by John O'Neill, Gerry Armstrong and Oran Kearney.

See also

Related Research Articles

<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 252,231.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texaco Cup</span> Association football competition

The Texaco Cup, officially known as the International League Board Competition, was an association football competition started in 1970, involving sides from England, Scotland, and Ireland that had not qualified for European competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Carroll</span> Northern Irish professional footballer

Roy Eric Carroll is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his spells at Wigan Athletic, Manchester United and Olympiacos. He also represented Northern Ireland 45 times at full international level between 1997 and 2017, and was a part of their squad for UEFA Euro 2016.

Henry Gregg was a Northern Irish professional footballer and manager. A goalkeeper, he played for Manchester United during the reign of Sir Matt Busby, with a total of 247 appearances for the club. He was a survivor of the Munich air disaster in 1958. Gregg also played for Doncaster Rovers and Stoke City, as well as making 25 appearances for the Northern Ireland national team between 1954 and 1963, including at the 1958 FIFA World Cup. He later went into management with Carlisle United, Crewe Alexandra, Shrewsbury Town and Swansea City.

The Academy of West Ham United F.C. is recognized as one of the most successful football academies in football history. This reputation has resulted in its nickname the Academy of Football.

The English Schools' Football Association was founded in 1904 and is the governing body of schools' football in England. It is responsible for the running and development of schools competitions and festivals at primary and secondary school age. The ESFA headquarters is in Stafford.

Cherry Orchard Football Club is an Irish association football club based in the Cherry Orchard area of Ballyfermot, Dublin. Their senior team plays in the Leinster Senior League. They have also competed in the FAI Cup, the FAI Intermediate Cup, the FAI Junior Cup and the Leinster Senior Cup. The club also has reserve teams playing in the Leinster Senior League and enter teams in the Dublin & District Schoolboy League. The club's youth system has produced dozens of players who have gone onto play for clubs throughout Ireland and the United Kingdom. In addition, several have also gone on to represent the Republic of Ireland at various international levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertie Peacock</span> Northern Irish footballer and manager

John Robert 'Bertie' Peacock MBE was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager who played for Celtic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CLG Eoghan Rua</span> Derry-based Gaelic games club

CLG Eoghan Rua Cúil Raithin is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Despite some of the club's catchment area being in County Antrim, the club is a member of the Derry GAA. Eoghan Rua currently cater for Gaelic Football, Hurling, Camogie, and Ladies' Gaelic football and also compete in Scór and Scór n nÓg. The club's name commemorates Eoghan Rua Ó Néill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CAB Madeira</span> Professional basketball team in Madeira, Portugal

Clube Amigos do Basquete, also known as CAB Madeira, is a professional basketball team based in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. They are comprised by men and women departments, both play in their respective highest Portuguese division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castledawson GAC</span> Derry-based Gaelic games club

Saint Malachy's GAC Castledawson is a Gaelic Athletic Club from Castledawson, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of Derry GAA and currently compete in gaelic football, hurling and camogie.

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.

John Lester is an Irish footballer who plays for North End United in the Wexford Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotland national under-20 football team</span> National under-20 association football team representing Scotland

The Scotland national under-20 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 20 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team. The team represents Scotland in international Under 20 competitions such as the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto FC Academy</span> Canadian soccer team

Toronto FC Academy, also known as TFC Academy, is the youth academy and development system of Canadian Major League Soccer club Toronto FC.

The Craig Memorial Cup, also known as the William Craig Memorial Cup is an intermediate football competition in Northern Ireland run by the North West of Ireland Football Association. The competition culminates in the final which has traditionally been played on Boxing Day. The current champions are Limavady United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament</span> Football tournament season

The 2009 Milk Cup Tournament edition was a prestigious association football tournament divided into three categories: Elite, Premier, and Junior for differing age groups. It ran between 27 and 31 July.

The 2010 Northern Ireland Youth Soccer Tournament was the 2010 edition of a prestigious youth association football tournament that has been running annually since 1983. Teams from around the world competed in a week-long tournament in the North Coast area of Northern Ireland. The teams were divided into three categories: Elite, Premier, and Junior for Under-19s, Under-17s and Under-15s respectively. The 2010 Milk Cup Tournament ran between the 26 and 30 July 2010, with Northern Ireland (Elite), Manchester United (Premier) and Everton (Junior) all returning to defend their 2009 titles.

During the 2002–03 English football season, Charlton Athletic competed in the FA Premier League.

The 2011 Northern Ireland Milk Cup is the twenty-ninth edition of the international football tournament which takes place annually in the north coast of Northern Ireland, and attracts competitors from across the globe. There are three sections to the tournament, the Elite Section (U19), the Premier Section (U17) and the Junior Section (U15). The defending champions are the USA, Etoile Lusitana and Chelsea respectively.

References

  1. "Milk Cup Chairman: Dairy Council backing was 'remarkable'". NI Milk Cup. 21 October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  2. "Dale Farm new sponsor for Milk Cup". Coleraine Times. Johnston Publishing. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  3. "Milk Cup football tournament in name change to Super Cup NI". BBC Sport. 20 October 2015.