Mayor’s up for the cup!

One football who fan can’t wait for the action to start, is Mayor of Ballymena, Hubert Nicholl who told the Times the Milk Cup is the perfect opportunity for Ballymena to showcase itself on the world stage.

Mayor Nicholl said he regularly attends the competition but this year will be extra special as he attends as the Borough’s first citizen.

He said: “For someone who really enjoys their football, the Milk Cup is something else. It is a showcase for the World’s young football talent and certainly one of the best competitions in Europe.

“The Milk Cup is important for Ballymena especially when you think about the number of people who come and stay in the borough, the teams and their families.

“It is the chance for the town to show the world what Ballymena has to offer and if they have a good experience then you will get people coming back in the future.”

The passionate football man told the Times that he is looking forward to taking in up to four matches each day of the competition, he added: “The Milk Cup is a ground for future super stars but it is also a great chance for young local players to have a taste of tournament football against some of the world’s big names.

“When you get sides like the Man United team and the USA coming to the borough, it can only be a good thing.

“I have been speaking to a number of young people in the town and they all said they are going to go to the finals, no matter who is playing.

“Last year we had a team from South Africa who won it last year and they were very charismatic and I am looking forward to seeing them again this year.”

This will be the second year that Ballymena has hosted the finals and with the new Warden Street stand ready to go, Nicholl said the Showgrounds is a fitting venue to hold the finals, he added: ”When you take into consideration the stand was still being built last year and even though seats had to be placed behind the track, it was still an incredible success.

“This year we have the new stand and hosting the finals gives us the chance to show the world that the Showgrounds is one of Northern Ireland’s premier venues.”

Nicholl added: “I am looking forward to seeing a team from Israel who have been travelling to the competition for the last five years. Last year when they got through to the semi-final a lot of their parents flew over to see them play.”

Mayor Nicholl pointed out that the most important visitor this summer will be of course, good weather, he said: “I would like to wish good luck to all the teams and competitors, the pitches are in excellent condition and fingers crossed the weather stays good.”