Giles urges support for Sligo Super Cup
His former club Leeds will be taking part for first time.
IRELAND’S greatest football legend, John Giles, has given a massive endorsement to the Sligo Super Cup, in which his former club, Leeds United, will be participating for the first time next April.
The former Ireland and Leeds superhero described the Sligo elite underage competition as ‘a hugely positive force for the development of young players’ and predicted that the young Leeds team competing here would ‘learn lessons to last a lifetime’.
In an exclusive interview with THE SLIGO CHAMPION, the man whose legendary career began as an 8 years old schoolboy in the Dublin&District Schoolboys League, said he was thrilled to hear that his old academy had been Sligo Super Cup champions for the past two years and praised the organisers for promoting youth football in a town he described as a ‘genuine soccer stronghold.”
Leeds and the DDSL are among eight teams who will compete in the third annual Sligo Super Cup from April 26th/28th.
It is the only competition of its type in Ireland catering for the under-12 age group, a point which impressed the former Republic of Ireland player and manager.
“It’s terrific that young players are getting these opportunities so early these days.
“In my day, the youngest competitive grade was under-14, so I was playing at that level as an 8 years old kid.
“Playing competitively at under-12 would have been unheard of, and certainly our generation of players could never have dreamed of playing in a tournament such as the Sligo Super Cup,” he said.
The man who won FA Cups and English League titles in a glittering career with Manchester United and Leeds United before becoming the nation’s best loved soccer analyst, believes the Sligo tournament is a fitting testimony to the town’s status as a football stronghold.
Giles said: “Even as a young lad growing up in Dublin I would have been aware of Sligo as a great soccer town, so it seems to me to be the perfect place to stage a tournament of this type.
“But what’s really pleasing is that the game has grown so much in other parts of the country. It might be hard to believe now, but I remember a time when soccer would never have been popular in some rural areas.
“Now, soccer is huge everywhere, and when you see a tournament in Sligo drawing really big clubs such as Celtic and Leeds it demonstrates just how much the game is growing at youth level. It’s a terrific thing to see.”
For the young players involved, the tournament provides a unique opportunity to learn and develop, he maintained.
“I can well imagine the excitement of young lads in places like Sligo and Donegal getting the opportunity to face up to professional academies such as Leeds or Derby County. It has to be a learning curve for them.
It’s a huge incentive for talented youngsters to represent their league or their town or their club at a major competition.
“But for the Leeds lads, too, it will be a big deal. They get the chance to travel outside their own country, to play against different opposition, to learn valuable lessons which will last a lifetime. So on every level, it’s a win-win situation.
“Socially, it’s also great for kids of that age to experience different places, different opportunities, and to make new friends.
“It is the sort of tournament that I would certainly endorse.
“It all sounds very exciting and I wish all the organisers and players and supporters the very best. I’m sure it will be a highly enjoyable festival of football in Sligo next April,” Johnny concluded.
The line-up for Super Cup ’19 has now been confirmed – competing over three days of non-stop action at Sligo Showgrounds from April 26th/28th will be Dublin&District Schoolboys League (holders), Leeds United, Derby County, Aberdeen, Glenavon, Donegal League, Mayo League and hosts, Sligo/ Leitrim League.