The O’Neills Foyle Cup is proud to be a tournament of international recognition and this year is no different.
Over 450 have been registered for this year's tournament with teams coming to Derry from as far away as the United States to take part.
One such club is Inter Connecticut, run by Derry native Marty Walker. Marty is bringing under-15 and under-16 teams to the 30th iteration of the Foyle Cup, running from July 18 to 23.
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Registering for the Foyle Cup was a 'no-brainer' according to Marty, who bought the club with colleague Leon Othen in 2019.
Marty said: "It's a brilliant event. There's an element of jealousy when it comes to the Foyle Cup because I never actually got the opportunity to play in it, so the opportunity to coach at it and to bring teams is almost making up for my lack of playing in it.
"The first trip was really good, the players and parents loved it, so it’s grown from there. We were then able to send two teams in 2019 and we’ve two teams coming again this year. We expect to have three or four teams going next year, including girls’ teams.
"We used to be called Everton America - we had an affiliation with Everton in the Premier League. I've been involved with the club since 2015 and we've always brought teams over for the Foyle Cup.
"We rebranded as Inter Connecticut in 2019 and then Covid hit in 2020 so this is the first opportunity to get back and we’ve seized it."
Football often has to compete with more traditional sports in the United States such as American football, basketball and baseball, however Marty has noticed a definite improvement in the standard of play in recent years as he looks to close the gap on teams this side of the Atlantic.
He said: “They’re buzzing to get over but also a little bit nervous. The players understand the game a lot more and they don't just depend on their athleticism, which got us by in the past. While our teams tend to be quite fit, I think the boys back home just understand the game better so that's the big lesson for our players.
"They always come back from the Foyle Cup more mature, both in person and as footballers, because they’re seeing a different style of play; it’s a bit more aggressive and cohesive, especially at that age group. But I'm looking forward to seeing how much the gap has shrunk since 2019 because the level of the game has really taken off over here and the standard is increasing year by year.”
Marty originally hails from the Bogside and although he now lives over 3,000 miles away, Derry remains close to his heart.
He said: "I've got a four-year-old and a three-year-old and they were at a summer camp here with their Derry City kits on! It's always hard to leave Derry because it's such a good place.
"You leave so many people behind so seeing family and friends again and getting to spend some time with them is always massively important. I’ll also get to show the Americans and their families the culture of Derry and show them around the Northwest."
Foyle Cup Secretary Philip Devlin said: "Having teams travel from as far as the United States to participate in the Foyle Cup is testament to the growth and status of this fine tournament. Marty is doing a terrific job over there and we look forward to welcoming him and Inter Connecticut to the Northwest this summer."
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