UMBRO Galway Cup 2012 promises to be biggest yet

The annual Umbro Galway Cup will be returning with a bang next August and ExtraTime.ie is delighted to have been made an official media sponsor for the 2012 tournament. Next summer’s competition promises to be the biggest yet with over 120 games played across four days.  Kicking-off on August 8^th, more than a dozen countries will be represented with competitions for three different age groups and over 1,000 players and coaches involved.

Once again the tournament will be hosted by Salthill Devon with all 120 matches taking place at the state-of-the-art Drom Soccer Park.

This is the eighth year of the prestigious tournament which was first launched in 2005. Since then teams from all over the world have taken part including England, Scotland, Continental Europe, Scandinavia and North and South America.

Denis Burke is the Tournament Director. He explains how the competition was born out of the setting up of the fantastic facilities in Salthill.

“We opened the facility in Drom in 2003. Prior to that, we had been bringing our own teams to tournaments to Britain and Europe and the States. But after we opened Drom, we realised we could host our own tournament.” 
 

“The facility is almost purpose-built for a tournament with the four pitches there together. It started in 2005 when we had Celtic in as a kind of headline act.  We had 35 teams the first year. It was tough to get it up and running but we’ve grown it now to just over 50 teams which is the maximum number of teams we can accommodate.”

The tournament has continued to go from strength-to-strength. Indeed this coming year will be the competition’s biggest yet with teams coming from as far away as Moscow and Israel.  The organisers also expect to announce further big names in the new year including a top four British club and others from Spain and the US.

Burke knows the tournament is still in its infancy but he is delighted by the way the Umbro Galway Cup has progressed over the years.

Indeed the reality of just how far the competition has come became clear to Burke at the launch of the Dublin Super Cup earlier this year when he was speaking with Andy Roxburgh - the former Scotland international and currently UEFA’s Technical Director.  Burke was stunned when he discovered Roxburgh was already aware of the competition.

“I was really surprised by that but it shows how far we’ve come. It’s still a very young cup when you compare it with similar tournaments. The Milk Cup is going for 30 years. But if we can continue to get quality names coming I think we can establish a tournament that we can be very proud of.”

It’s clear, however, that the Umbro Galway Cup is different from other football competitions played around the world, as Burke explains.

“There are two types of tournament. For example, there’s one in Gothenburg and it has 1,600 teams. Then there are other ones with six or seven hundred. They’re huge events. That’s not our gig at all. We try and confine the tournament to the one venue.  We had 50 teams last year and considering the economic circumstances we have in the country at the moment, we’re pretty happy with that.”

It’s clear the interest of those taking part in the competition is at its core. Everything is provided for the players who stay on campus in the nearby Galway University. Players are transported to and from games every day with their meals also included.

But arguably the most important aspect of the tournament is the opportunity it offers to young footballers.

“It gives players the opportunity to be spotted” says Burke.  “All the English clubs will be sending their scouts. Last year we had Arsenal here and then you’ll have all the Championship clubs represented as well. Celtic and Rangers had people there last year and we expect they will be there again.”

“It gives our guys the opportunity to play at a high level without having to go abroad and it also gives the Irish talent an opportunity to be seen by the FAI coaches.

In this context Burke could hardly be accused of blowing hot smoke with a number of players who took part in the tournament going on to play at the top level.  Manchester City and Ireland defender Greg Cunningham was Player of the Tournament in 2006 when he was playing for Mervue United. Jamie Forest played in the first Umbro Cup for Celtic. He’s now plies his trade with the Scottish and Celtic first teams.  Sunderland’s Conor Wickham is another notable name amongst many others.
 

Outside of these more obvious positives, the competition is also hugely important for the local economy.  The tournament organisers say it brings up to €2m to the region when the spin-off effect from players’ families and all those involved with the tournament is considered.
 

According to Burke, the Umbro Cup also offers aspiring Irish referees work and the chance to further their careers.

“The referees are from the FAI’s School of Excellence. They’re not actually referees who ref games in the top tier but they’re the people who are the next level down and are aspiring to adjudicate at the top level. And then on top of that we have some local referees who we’re delighted to have as well.”

In terms of the format of the cup, all teams play four group games of 25 minutes duration. After that, the top teams from the group stages progress to the knockout rounds while the rest go into the shield.

While football is the mainstay of the event, Burke is keen to stress that that the Umbro Cup is a family event with something for everyone.

“There’s a great buzz about the place because there’s so much activity. All the games are beside each other and we bring in caterers for the four days.  There’s X-box consoles as well so there is something for the all the family to enjoy. The town is really busy with tourists at that time of year and there’s a real carnival atmosphere about the place.”

Ultimately Burke knows the success of this competition isn’t down to anyone feat in particular, but a culmination of factors. “The facilities are really a big part of it but to run a good tournament you need a complete package. We have the facilities, good referees, great pitches and it’s a really nice town to visit at that time of year.

“The competition’s profile within the city is rising in the last couple of years considerably. I’m convinced the coming year is going to be the biggest year so far and I think we’ll get an awful lot more publicity in 2012.”

ExtraTime.ie is an official media sponsor of the 2012 Umbro Galway Cup. Follow all the action from the 8^th - 11^th of August right here and on our Twitter and Facebook accounts and keep an eye out for more announcements in the run up to the competition.