The Milk Cup?

[Keyser soze]

Having been involved in youth football for the best part of a decade I have to say that Northern Ireland has not one but two top tier youth competitions annually. I helped out with fundraising for the Co Antrim squad 4 or 5 years ago and was very impressed with the level and quality of the organisation. The milk cup is in youth football terms a fantastic competition.

Thats great.

But it wouldn't exist without a huge swathe of public money being given to it directly and 'in kind'.

And the media coverage it is afforded stands in stark contrast to the likes of a feile which doesn't merit a mention in the mainstream media outlets, certainly in the North.

[screenexile]

Just another excuse to show how great 'Our Wee Country' is. As with other non-events, like the NW200, bigged up to show how great Norn Iron is, it couldn't run if there wasn't a shitload of public money thrown at it.

A load of wains running round like sheep  but the BBC treats it like a mini woirld cup. There'd be more peeps at Owenbeg for an Intermediate match than would attend the whole thing.

I think we have outstanding games in hurling and Gaelic football and for me and my family no other sport compares to the buzz associated with our club and county. However that was what we were brought up with, understand and enjoy. For others it's soccer , rugby , athletics , motor sports or even darts!! I think we should be secure enough in the pride we have in the GAA not to denigrate other sports or pastimes. To call the NW200 a non-event just doesn't stand up. I don't know the exact figures but road racing attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators every year , watching competitors of exceptional skill and bravery absolute complete and utter stupidity. Similarly in soccer the milk cup is the shop window for aspiring professional soccer players, it appears very well organised attracting some of the world's largest clubs. I feel that BBC and UTV aren't promoting our own games in the way I would like, and there's certainly a debate to be had around that, but attacking the NW200 and Milk cup undermines the credibility of the valid argument in favour of more GAA exposure

That's my view on the Northwest. The Milk Cup wouldn't be my cup of errr Milk I guess but the people who play in it enjoy it and fair play to them it's fairly prestigious internationally and if they're able to get more coverage from the BBC then more power to them.

It's funny how many older soccer heads reckon they were good footballers because they played in the Milk Cup... Aye dead on but sure you went on the piss when you were 18 and played junior for the next 5 years wise up!!

[David McKeown]

No you are right there it wouldn't but that's not the Milk Cup's problem it does a fantastic job at a securing available public money and b marketing itself to clubs, countries, providers of public funds and the media etc. So fair play to it. Rather than begrudge it, it's maybe time other organisations took a leaf out of its book.

[pullhard]

Glad to see my views on road racing are shared -madness

Used to like watching the milk cup

[theskull1]

No you are right there it wouldn't but that's not the Milk Cup's problem it does a fantastic job at a securing available public money and b marketing itself to clubs, countries, providers of public funds and the media etc. So fair play to it. Rather than begrudge it, it's maybe time other organisations took a leaf out of its book.

How could the GAA market itself to run clubs and countries and the media to run similar competitions and get the same backing? Do you believe they could?

It would be nice to see the figures comparing the public money spent on the feiles that have been run up here this past 2 years and what the likes of the milk cup gets.

[David McKeown]

You aren't really comparing like with like there. The milk cup is able to be marketed as a premier competition in a massive world wide spotr attracting competitiors from all over the worldt. I don't know enough about the feiles but I doubt they could make the same claim. Certainly the GAA couldn't. What I'm trying to say is the milk cup is excellent at extracting the maximum of everything for what it is. Be that public money, press exposure or even prestige. (It's not even the biggest youth football tournament in the area in the last fortnight in terms of participation.) Other organisations could learn a lot in this regard.

[Jeepers Creepers]

I actually though the media coverage had quite diminished from the Milk cup compared to the way it used to be covered?

[screenexile]

Hertfordshire
New York
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Lancashire
Warwickshire
Gloucestershire
Scotland
South London

From the last Feile na nOg...

Not as comprehensive a world list as the Milk Cup but pretty decent!!

[David McKeown]

I'm not saying a feile isn't a world event but the milk cup has been cleverly able to paint itself as a premier competition in one of if not the biggest sporting events in the world.

[Keyser soze]

Cleverly able to paint itself as a premier competition my ass.

The BBC is furiously flagellating itself about how important a competition it is in order to show how great OWC is, which  shows where their priorities lie.

Anybody that believes that this tournament warrants the coverage given to it by the BBC  needs their head examined. 

If it had to stand on its own two feet it wouldn't exist.

[theskull1]

I'm not saying a feile isn't a world event but the milk cup has been cleverly able to paint itself as a premier competition in one of if not the biggest sporting events in the world.

Where there's a will (and a winker  ) there's a way you mean. Saying its solely down to some master stroke of marketing and PR is being disingenuous. 

[general_lee]

Pardon my ignorance but why all the hate for Stephen Watson?

Also, I do agree local media do do their best to milk the shite out of this. Pun intended. It's still a reasonably prestigious event judging by some of the clubs involved.

[brokencrossbar1]

Lads, FFS take the blinkers off and stop comparing one sport to another.  I have never been involved in the Milk Cup but it is a prestigious international youth tournament which attracts huge clubs from around the world and is a possible shop window for some of the best young Irish soccer players to get themselves noticed.  I have had friends who played in it and got trials in England and Scotland on the back of it.  If you want to have an idea of the quality at it read this list of players who appeared in it.

Nicky Barmby (Tottenham Hotspur)
Joey Barton (Everton) 1997(U14)
Craig Bellamy (Norwich City)
Wes Brown (Manchester United) 1996 (U16), 1994 (U14)
Sergio Busquets (F.C. Barcelona)
Nicky Butt (Manchester United) 1991
Michael Carrick (West Ham United) 1995(U14)
Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur) 1997 (U16)
Jermain Defoe (Charlton Athletic) 1997 (U14)
Damien Duff (Blackburn Rovers) 1995, 1994 (U16)
Radamel Falcao (River Plate)
Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) 1991
Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich,1997(U16)Wales) 1998 (U19)
Thomas Hitzlsperger (Bayern Munich)
Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich)
Phil Jagielka (Everton) 1997 (U14)
Jeffren (F.C. Barcelona)
Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur) 1997, 1996 (U16)
Steve McManaman (Liverpool) 1988
James Milner (Leeds United) 2003, 2002, 2001 (U16)
Gary Neville (Manchester United)
Wayne Rooney (Everton)
Paul Scholes (Manchester United) 1991
Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)


Not a bad list lads,  2 WC winners and multiple CL league winners.  Sure Watson and his luvvies love it but f**king hell not everything they w**k over is shit!

[T Fearon]

An excellent competition devised by Coleraine man and former captain,the late Bertie Peacock.Pity sectarianism raises its ugly head during it,which precludes the participation of Bertie's former club,Celtic.

[DuffleKing]

Why are Celtic "precluded"?