The Foyle Cup in Derry will have an international appeal with teams from Finland, the USA and Canada set to take part when it kicks off later this month.
The tournament has been developing a reputation for attracting talent from across the globe and this year will be no different, with North American outfit Surf Select Soccer, and Finnish side FD Suomi set to take part.
Excitement is building with the O’Neills Foyle Cup now just weeks away, with kick off set to take place on July 17.
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The North American visitors Surf Select have a vast pool of players to choose from, with 46 regional clubs spread across both the US and Canada - the majority of which are based in California.
The best players from these sides are then invited to national trials, and those who progress take part in various tournaments, including the Foyle Cup.
There is certainly a local influence at Surf Select and one familiar name within the setup is Buncrana’s Jonny Bonner, a former Finn Harps and Crusaders midfielder, who now works as Regional Director in Boston.
Another individual whom Irish Premiership followers may be aware of is Scott Graham, a Programme Co-ordinator for Surf Select based in New York.
Scott, a Newtownabbey native, is a former coach at Linfield FC who made the move to the US in 2014 and got involved with the programme three years ago.
The club has experience of playing in Northern Ireland and indeed were successful in two age groups at last year’s SuperCupNI. Despite this past silverware, Scott says the players will not be getting carried away with thoughts of glory.
“Of course, those victories last year were fantastic, but I don’t believe it puts any extra pressure on the players to perform", he said.
“There is a competitiveness within the squad, and they are thoroughly looking forward to travelling to Europe to compete against different styles of play.”
FD Suomi will not need to come quite as far as their American counterparts, but around 1,200 miles travelling from Helsinki to Derry is still further than most of their competitors at the tournament.
The Finnish team operates as an academy side and is based in the UK, but all the players come from the Scandinavian nation. Similar to Surf Select, the most talented players are brought to camps where they will then be selected for various tournaments.
Kristian Heames is the Head Coach of FD Suomi, and he enjoys bringing the players to the Foyle Cup given its challenging nature.
He said: “The tournament is really tough, one of the toughest in fact. There are many smart players taking part who know how to play the game and how to win. The most important thing is testing the young Finnish players, and the Foyle Cup provides that.”
Unlike most European countries, football is not the most popular sport in Finland.
Ice Hockey rules the roost, and much of this is down to the national team’s success on the international stage.
“A lot of Finns think that they will be able carve a career out of ice hockey a lot easier than they would playing football," he said
"Having said that, football remains popular here and there are no issues putting teams together.”
Many of the teams making their way to the North West will be keen to see the sights and get a flavour of the culture while they are in this scenic corner of the world.
Derry acts as the main accommodation hub for participants, and the Walled City is a stone’s throw from numerous sandy beaches, historic landmarks and various other attractions.
The tournament location is already an exciting prospect for the Surf Select squad, and Scott is looking forward to showing them around the region. “It’s important to give the players a cultural feel wherever we play. We will of course have to time these excursions around our recovery sessions, but we will definitely get around the town and up to the North Coast.”
As for FD Suomi’s downtime, Kristian is keen to add an educational element to the visit. He explains: “We plan on taking the team on a walking tour of the city. This is always a popular
activity anywhere we go, as it gives the players a sense of the history of the city and the country, and provides them with a positive cultural experience.”
The O’Neills Foyle Cup takes place from 17-22 July 2023.
More information can be found at https://foylecup.com.
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