O'Neill's Foyle Cup to celebrate 30th anniversary this summer with entries now open

With New Year celebrations now brought to a close, all those involved in youth football will be beginning preparations for the 2023 tournament which will celebrate this significant milestone in the North West region from July 17th-22nd.

This ever growing event, evidenced by no fewer than 457 teams in 2022, caters for teams aged eight to 19 years of age, including girls teams and a Sports with Disability category.

Throughout the course of the week teams participated in more than 1700 matches, with 8,500 players, 1,300 coaches and 200,000 spectators attending the tournament as fixtures were held across 38 different venues including Derry, Strabane, Greysteel, Sion Mills, Limavady, Coleraine, Dungiven and Donegal.

The tournament, which began as a one-day, eight team event, secures support from Tourism NI, Executive Office, Dept for Communities, Derry Strabane District Council, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, ONeill’s Sport, Seagate, Axa Insurance, Brunswick SuperBowl, Inner City Trust, Visit Derry and Derry Credit Union, without whose support this tournament would not be possible..

Local hotels, hostels, B& Bs and University accommodation experience up to 98% occupation levels, all on a full board basis and report that Foyle Cup week is one of the busiest of the year and describe the Foyle Cup as an event that truly delivers in terms of the local economy, very much believing it to be the most popular and successful event in the city’s calendar.

One of the most exciting activities of the week is the hugely popular ONeill's Foyle Cup parade when up to 10,000 participants, consisting of participants and their family members, colourfully parading from Magee Campus of Ulster University, to Derry Guildhall for an official welcome by the Council’s Mayor.

Philip Devlin, PR officer for the Foyle Cup, commented: “The crowds attending the tournament last year were exceptionally high and witnessed not only the excitement of the players but also a high quality of football throughout the whole week.”

For more information visit website www.foylecup.com or e mail oneillsfoylecup@ gmail.com

Closing date for entries is January 31st.