USA celebrating their 3-0 win over Northern Ireland in the Elite Section title, Milk Cup 2010

Concerns over the future of the Milk Cup have been raised as the countdown to this year’s competition begins.

Speaking at the draw for the top international youth football tournament at Belfast’s Odyssey Arena, event driving force Jim Sandford stressed that public funding would be required to keep the Milk Cup on these shores.

Addressing an audience of sports people, politicians and the media, Sandford made an impassioned plea for a cash injection to help keep alive one of Northern Ireland’s major annual tourist attractions.

“It is about time certain public bodies gave us some support, or the Milk Cup may not be with us in Northern Ireland much longer,” he warned.

He later revealed that the competition’s organising committee had been approached to take the Milk Cup to England – but this is something he and his colleagues are keen to avoid at all costs.

He said: “There are people casting envious eyes at the Milk Cup to take it elsewhere, but we are very adamant that we want to keep it in Northern Ireland.

“The competition has a worldwide reputation and generates a tremendous income for the local economy, but sometimes you wonder if certain authorities are aware of that.

“The question is a simple one: does Northern Ireland plc want the Milk Cup to remain in Northern Ireland?”

The tournament’s value was supported by former Northern Ireland World Cup hero and Sky TV pundit Gerry Armstrong, who made the draw and paid tribute to the hard work of the volunteers who make the event such a success every year.

North Coast area MLA David McClarty went one further and named names, in a hard-hitting defence of the tournament.

He told the Belfast Telegraph: “Jim may not have mentioned the Northern Ireland Tourist Board specifically, but I will.

“Sometimes the Tourist Board have a record of taking their funding away once an event is capable of sustaining itself. But in these difficult times, the Milk Cup is very much dependant on public

funding, and the Tourist Board has an obligation to ensure its continued success.”

This year, as ever, the competition is broken into Junior, Premier and Elite age groups, ranging from 14-18 with matches from July 25-29 across the north coast and the Final again in its temporary Ballymena Showgrounds base for a second year.

The Elite Section sees Northern Ireland face Denmark and Georgia. Other competing countries are Mexico, Israel and holders USA.

In the Junior Section, Northern Ireland’s six county teams will compete against 16 others including Everton, Reading, Queen of the South and some from further afield like Cruz Azul (Mexico), Hapoel Haifa (Israel), and South Coast Strikers (USA).

The Premier Section is also a 22-team affair, and some of the local teams have been given a particularly difficult task.

County Antrim are pitted against Desportivo Brazil, and Co Down play last year’s winners Etoile Lusitana from Senegal on the Wednesday.

Just 24 hours prior to this, Co Fermanagh take on Tottenham Hotspur, while Tyrone have the honour of facing tournament kingpins Manchester United.

“It is a dream to be pitted against the best club in England, and maybe Europe,” admitted thrilled Tyrone coach Tommy Canning, who is looking forward to his first Milk Cup in the role.

The competition kicks off, in traditional fashion, with a parade around the streets of Coleraine on Sunday, July 24, featuring all 50 competing teams.

Belfast Telegraph