With the first kick off just 3 days away, the organisers of SuperCupNI have had to deal with sourcing two late replacements in the girls’ section of the tournament.
Shelbourne FC from Dublin withdrew from the competition just a few days ago leaving the organisers with the dilemma of sourcing a replacement team in the Junior girls and Premier girls’ section.
In the Premier section, Athlone Town have agreed to replace Shelbourne and they will take their place in group B alongside Northern Ireland, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Galway United.
In the Junior section, the South Belfast Youth League have quickly assembled a league select team who will now have quality fixtures against Crusaders, Surf Select and FC America.
Tournament management team member Sam Gamble paid tribute to the hard work put in behind the scenes to source two quality late replacements.
“Shelbourne were incredibly disappointed to have to withdraw from both sections of the tournament. They have experienced a number of injuries in recent weeks and their Premier side in particular was hit by some last-minute call-ups to the national team for the U19 European Championships in Lithuania.
“Alfie Wylie has been in conversations with clubs from all four corners of the island and I’d like to pay tribute to Alfie for his tireless efforts over the last few days. We were delighted to source two quality replacements to ensure the girls’ tournament can continue to grow and prosper!
“We would like to also thank the South Belfast Youth League and Athlone Town for their quick and decisive actions, and we look forward to welcoming the two teams to the tournament!”
The 2024 tournament gets underway on Sunday 21stJuly, when the teams and guests participate in the parade and opening ceremony in Coleraine. The parade will get underway at 7pm, leaving from the Mall car park before making its way through Coleraine and ending at the Coleraine Showgrounds, which is once again hosting the finals of the boys tournament this summer.
The action gets underway the next day on Monday 22nd July, across three male age groups and two girls’ age groups, with the tournament concluding with finals day on Friday 26th July.
Matches will take place at venues in three council areas, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.