The Umbro Galway Cup 2012

Salthill Devon took it upon themselves to take the first step to develop international football in the South of Ireland; creating and developing the Umbro Galway Cup, which takes place in their modern state-of-the-art facility at Drom Soccer Park.

Eighth Year

Now in its eighth year, the Umbro Galway Cup continues to grow and prosper. The competition has been broadcast on national television [Setanta Sports, RTÉ], and has attracted teams from the UK, the US, Canada, the South East, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Israel, and Mexico as well as a strong representation of Irish clubs. League of Ireland outfits such as Shelbourne, Derry City, and Bohemians have attended in the past, and have competed against UK academies like Ipswich Town, Glasgow Celtic, Aberdeen, Leeds Utd, Newcastle Utd, Fulham, Sunderland, and Leicester City.

The Umbro Galway Cup targets the Boys Under 15 age group each year as the Elite cup – a competition dedicated solely to professional clubs and established academies. In 2005, the Football Association of Ireland walked away victorious, while it has been our friends from the UK who have claimed the title in the past four years – Aberdeen in 2006, and Ipswich Town, under the guidance of Sammy Morgan, in 2007. 2008 saw a strong Leicester City outfit emerge victorious from what was one of the strongest Elite groups to date, and Leicester City became the first team to retain the title by defeating Fulham in the 2009 final. Aberdeen were the victors in 2010, beating an impressive Ipswich Town in the final. In 2011, Glasgow Celtic won the Elite Cup at the third time of trying, defeating the FAI Emerging Talent in the final.

Since 2005, we have had a steady increase in the number of teams expressing an interest in the competition from Northern Ireland, with the likes of Friends Select Academy, Ballymoney, Cookstown Youths, Maiden City, Dungannon Youths, and Oxford United Stars competing at various age groups. In 2009, two teams from the North battled it out in the U15 Club final as Foyle Harps defeated Glentoran in a pulsating final.

Over the last seven years, the foundations have been laid. The Umbro Galway Cup Team is continuously working to improve the service and to provide an excellent experience for the teams that visit each year. Our goal is to become the number one underage football tournament in Europe, perhaps by not being the biggest, but by providing the best services and highest quality of football for all teams who attend.