Northern Ireland senior men’s squad players and team boss Michael O’Neill are helping organisers of the annual SuperCupNI international youth football tournament to promote the event.
This year the summer tournament - it was previously known as the Milk Cup - is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
Down the years numerous players who have gone on to represent their country have played at the event. And the Irish FA has also regularly arranged for Northern Ireland underage teams to take part.
As part of the marketing campaign for this year’s festival of football current Northern Ireland players are starring in a series of videos in which they reflect on their participation at the event.
Most of the players turned out for one of Northern Ireland’s six county teams, while others played for club sides or represented Northern Ireland.
💚 | @NorthernIreland manager 𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗢'𝗡𝗘𝗜𝗟𝗟 has seen it all at #SuperCupNI - having been there as a fan on day one and twice playing in the tournament pic.twitter.com/N9iBL9h3vp
— SuperCupNI ⚽️🏆 (@SuperCupNI) July 20, 2023
Michael O’Neill, who played in what was then the Milk Cup for Ballymena and District as well as Coleraine FC, also features in the videos, which are being distributed on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the run-up to the tournament.
And the Irish FA’s Technical Director, Aaron Hughes, one of Northern Ireland’s most capped players, is included in the line-up, too. He represented Boys’ Bridge, County Tyrone and Northern Ireland at the event.
The players from the current squad caught on camera include Jonny Evans, Shayne Lavery, Jordan Thompson, Conor Bradley, Dale Taylor, Trai Hume and Ethan Galbraith.
😅 | "That was my first time on TV! Double penalty miss - devastated" - 𝗝𝗼𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘀@NorthernIreland international Jonny Evans looks back on archive footage of his time at #SuperCupNI and says playing in the tournament was massive for him pic.twitter.com/L1T2J9FUTn
— SuperCupNI ⚽️🏆 (@SuperCupNI) July 18, 2023
The 40th anniversary tournament will feature 64 teams from across the world.
It officially gets under way this Sunday (23 July) with a players’ parade and opening ceremony in Coleraine.
The action will then begin on Monday across four male age groups and two girls’ age groups, with the tournament concluding with finals day on Friday 28 July.
Matches are set to be staged at venues in three council areas: Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim and Antrim and Newtownabbey.
For further information on the tournament go to www.supercupni.com.
Image: Northern Ireland and Stoke City midfielder Jordan Thompson played for Manchester United at SuperCupNI (then Milk Cup) in 2014.
