8 Feb 2008 - Off To The Foyle Cup

After three successful years at different tournaments Portadown FC Youth U11's have decided to stay closer to home but to push themselves just that wee bit further this summer by entering the 2008 Foyle Cup which takes place in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

This 1996 team has already excelled at the Easter & Spring Festival of Football in Ayr, Scotland winning it in 2005 & 2006. They then moved on to Cork in the Republic of Ireland for the Cork Cup in 2007 and again won this tournament beating Leeds United along the way. The Foyle Cup is another step up with some of Europe's top youth teams taking part.

The 2008 Foyle Cup is a week long tournament that runs from 22nd July to 26th July. It is seen as a warm up tournament for the world renouned Milk Cup which starts shortly after the Foyle Cup ends.

Last year's tournament attracted teams from many Irish youth clubs, Irish League & League of Ireland youth teams along with youth teams from professional clubs such as Hearts, Hull City, Port Vale, Bournemouth, Montpellier, Werder Bremen and probably the world's greatest youth set-up Ajax from Holland. 

For a few of the boys in this team this will not be their first trip to the Foyle Cup as some of them were selected to play for a team called Friends Select in last year's Mini Soccer Foyle Cup. This team was set up by locally based scouts from Chelsea & Nottingham Forest. Also two boys who played for our 1995 team last season guested for Shankill Juniors in last season's U12 tournament.