‘Ambitious plans’ to mark 40th anniversary of SuperCupNI in 2023 this summer

Back in 1983, the tournament took place for the very first time and 40 years on, chairman Victor Leonard said there are exciting plans in place to ensure that this year’s tournament is one of the most memorable in the event’s illustrious history.“We are now one month on from the conclusion of that dramatic World Cup final and we were delighted to see 26 Tournament graduates from all four corners of the globe playing at the tournament,” said Leonard.

"The feedback we get from clubs from across the world is that the tournament is one of a very high quality and that teams are astounded with how warmly they are welcomed.“Many of the teams often use the tournament as a chance to test their best players against others from across the world and we have seen in recent years the tournament acting as a springboard for promising talents to go on and move on to the next stage of their career.

“This year we will celebrate our 40th anniversary and the team organising the tournament have been working tirelessly since the conclusion of the 2022 event,” he added.“We have already launched a new website (www.supercupni.com) and some new branding to celebrate this milestone and we are very excited about the ambitious plans we have for 2023.”Last year’s SuperCupNI tournament was the biggest yet in the event’s rich history and while Leonard admitted it was a challenging year after the Covid-19 pandemic, a record number of matches were played.“It was fantastic to see young people from across the globe coming back to Northern Ireland once again after our break as a result of the pandemic,” he said.

"The 2022 tournament came with its challenges, but we still managed to deliver a record number of matches.

“After the tournament we undertook a major review including an assessment of the age groups and we believe the changes made for the 2023 event will reaffirm our position as one of the best elite youth football tournaments in Europe."

This year, the male section will consist of three age groups: Minor (2010 teams), Junior (2009 teams) and Premier, (2007 teams). Such was the success of the female section in 2022, the organisers have expanded the tournament to include a Junior Section (2009 teams) and Premier Section (2007 teams).Leonard revealed there has been a great deal of interest in both the male and female sections.“Our Minor entries for the male section concluded before Christmas and we are about to close entries for the Junior and Premier section shortly.

"There has been a great deal of interest from across the globe and we believe that our 40th anniversary year could be one of the best with regards to high calibre teams that will attend.”The 2023 tournament kicks off on Sunday, July 23 with the traditional welcoming ceremony in Coleraine and concludes with finals day on Friday, July 28.

Matches will be played across three council areas, Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.