Translink’s annual Gold Cup competition will return this November, in partnership with the Irish FA Foundation.
Now in its sixth year, it involves the eight post-primary schools across Northern Ireland who have been awarded the Gold Schools’ Quality Mark accreditation by the Irish FA Foundation, which supports schools to put structures in place to develop football.
The competition is also the first to involve schools playing each other across three age groups (U13, U15, U17).
Gareth Allen, Post Primary Development Manager in the Irish FA Foundation, said:
“I am delighted to see the competition return and would like to wish all the schools the very best of luck this year.
“The Translink Schools’ Gold Cup is an innovative competition that showcases the strength of schools’ football at different age groups for both boys and girls. I would like to thank Translink for their support for both boys’ and girls’ football in Northern Ireland. They have been a fantastic partner for the association, and we look forward to further growing schools’ football together.”
David Cowan, Director of Commercial Operations at Translink commented on the continued success of the partnership and development of girls’ football sessions:
"At Translink we’re committed to better connecting people across Northern Ireland and our long-term partnership with the Irish FA is a great example of the importance of public transport in connecting young people to sport, whether it’s school football, evening training or weekend matches.
“We’re proud to continue this great initiative and look forward each year to supporting young players from across Northern Ireland as they take part. Following the success of last year’s girls’ sessions, we were also keen to build on this initiative and encourage even more girls to give football a go and provide an opportunity to develop local sporting talent and nurture the players of the future."
The first round of games in the Translink Schools’ Gold Cup 2023-24 begin later this month.
