One of football’s most prestigious youth tournaments survived and flourished thanks to the influence of former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
SuperCupNI – formerly known as the Milk Cup – is an international tournament that brings a variety of youth teams from across the globe to compete in Northern Ireland in a week-long competition.
The tournament is divided into three sections; Elite (Under-19 sides), Premier (Under-16) and Junior (Under-14), and has seen no shortage of talented teenagers participate across the past four decades before going on to flourish at the elite level of senior football.
Founded in 1983, the most famous side in its history were 1991 winners Manchester United – a team featuring David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville, alongside Player of the Tournament Keith Gillespie.
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They would later be known as the ‘Class of ‘92’ – courtesy of winning the FA Youth Cup the following year – and would provide the backbone of a team who dominated English football for the next two decades.
Yet their first success would not have been possible without the previous intervention of Ferguson, who was a notable advocate for the Northern Ireland tournament in its formative years – played to the backdrop of political instability in the nation.
It was Ferguson’s relationship with former Northern Ireland internationals Bertie Peacock – one of the tournament’s founders – and Sean Fallon, combined with his passion for youth football, which led to him insisting that United were a staple of the tournament.
Tournament committee member Jim Sandford told Mirror Football: “Sir Alex Ferguson played such a big part in the very special relationship with Manchester United. Bertie Peacock – who is one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic ever football figures – was friends with his former Celtic teammate Sean Fallon, who went on to play for Northern Ireland.
“Sean was a personal friend of Sir Alex’s, and that friendship trio helped build up the relationship with United that has lasted until this day. Sir Alex has been over to the tournament a dozen or so times and always is ready to help out with appearances – and he never asks for a fee or causes the slightest bit of bother.
“We were speaking to him at the recent FA Youth Cup final which Manchester United won and we had a great chat with him then, and he continued to show a great interest in the tournament.
“Manchester United Academy's player liaison officer Dave Bushell is another one from the club who has been great for the tournament and continuing that link.”
There have been no shortage of “graduates” – as those who have participated are fondly referred to by its organisers – who have passed through the tournament on their ascent to stardom. Radamel Falcao, Joe Cole, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Owen Hargreaves are a selection of those who have passed through its ranks.
A beaming Sandford admitted “it is an illustrious list”, but had no doubts about the team that has stood above the rest in being destined for greatness.
“That 1991 Manchester United side is the one that really stands out,” he continued. “It was captained by David Beckham and its star player that year was Keith Gillespie – that Northern Ireland connection.
“Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary Neville were all in that team too, who ironically became known as the ‘Class of 92’ at United even though they had already won our tournament the previous year.
“But the list of players who have gone on to stardom after playing in our tournament is remarkable: Wayne Rooney and Sergio Busquets are just two examples.
“The tournament played its part in helping those players get to where they are today.”
Yet the brutal reality of football is that the overwhelming majority of players – even those who are supremely talented at youth level – do not go on to reach the level of fully-fledged professionals. While the future superstars are a major selling point of the tournament and its long-term benefits, the games are arguably more important for those other players who will never have a senior career – but will always have memories of participation.
“We look at the tournament as an elite tournament – we do not prioritise teams who will necessarily be the most well-known, but we always aim to prioritise quality,” Sandford explains of the selection process, which recruits teams from all corners of the globe.
“This is a worldwide, famous event and a lot of the time their participation in this tournament will be the pinnacle of their careers – something upon which they can always look back at with fondness. Not every footballer will fulfil their dreams, and most will not, but that might make this an even more memorable event for them.”
The tournament is now on the verge of its 40th year but is recovering from a “difficult period” when the 2020 and 2021 editions had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. Yet it returned this year, bigger and better than ever before.
The competition encompasses a whopping 37 games per day; bringing the demands of ample numbers of referees, officials and volunteers to staff each stadium. The games were spread across 18 venues – giving the tournament a community feel and the chance to showcase as much of Northern Ireland as possible to its visitors.
The most notable addition to the tournament is girls' matches, with a series of challenge games involving girls, which had been planned to start in 2020, prior to the pandemic. “It is great to have those teams involved now too,” added Sandford. “This year we have Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Rangers and three American teams who are represented. That is a fantastic addition to the tournament and it shows how we are continuing to grow.”
Plenty of players continue to reap the benefits of participation in the tournament, competing in high-quality matches and meeting opponents from across the globe. Manchester United are still a regular in the tournament – with plenty of trophies to show – and proves to be part of the lasting legacy of Ferguson.
