Professional and youth teams to play in Setanta Cup

Organizers of this year’s All Irish Setanta Sports Cup are reaching out to local youth clubs, involving them in the tournament to improve community relations. The Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Wallace Browne, put the idea forth in a meeting at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast earlier this month.

The programme involves selecting a corresponding boys and girls youth team for every club participating in the tournament, beginning with the match between Drogheda United and Dungannon Swifts. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) provided transportation and up to 40 tickets for each youth team to attend the tournament’s opening game at United Park. Three other games have been selected for exchanges, with plans for similar exchanges at the tournament’s semifinals and finals, scheduled for April 22.

“It is our firm belief that the Setanta Sports Cup clearly demonstrates the potential of football to bring diverse communities together,” Milo Corcoran, chairman of the tournament organising committee, said. “All the clubs involved from both the Irish Premier League and the eircom League have given their full cooperation and support to this venture and we look forward to developing stronger ties between communities north and south.”

The eight-team tournament kicked off earlier this month. In Group A, Drogheda United played Dungannon Swifts at United Park while Portadown played host to Cork City at Shamrock Park. In Group B, holders Linfield faced Derry City at Windsor Park and Shelbourne played host to Glentoran at Tolka Park.