Ballymena Borough COuncil a key player in Milk Cup success

The local borough council has become a key player in the success of the competition in recent years, by providing top-of-the-range facilities throughout the week of the competition, particularly on finals night.

Ballymena Showgrounds first hosted the tournament’s jewel in the crown in 2010 after issues surrounding changing room accomodation for the six competing teams in the three finals, saw the finals night move away from its traditional base at Coleraine Showgrounds.

“Ballymena has certainly embraced the Milk Cup in the number of years since it became a venue and we always hear fantastic reports from teams who have played in or stayed in Ballymena about the reception they have received,” says tournament chairman Victor Leaonard.

“That is equally true in Broughshane, which is one of the best attended council pitches in all four areas,” added Victor.

The Northern Ireland Milk will kick off in Ballymena this year at 3.30pm on Saturday 21st July in Broughshane where South Coast Strikers play Swindon Town in the Elite Section of the tournament.

Ballymena Showgrounds will host Queen of the South versus Watford at 5.00pm followed by one of the matches of the tournament when Northern Ireland plays Chile with a 7.00pm kick-off.

Since the tournament’s very humble beginnings when 16 teams participated, the Milk Cup has become one of the most famous youth football tournaments in the world attracting teams of the very highest quality from all five Continents and six FIFA Confederations.

The Tournament which is in its thirtieth year has gone from strength to strength and continues to grow with the continued support of Major sponsors such as Ballymena Borough Council.

In its thirty year history, participating teams have seen the tournament as a major part of their fixture lists and have arrived on these shores from 61 different Countries.

The competition which is based in Coleraine is played at venues across the North East including Ballymoney, Limavady, Portrush, Portstewart, Castlerock, and our very own Ballymena and Broughshane.

This year the Ballymena borough will host 21 games with 8 scheduled for Broughshane and a further 13 scheduled for Ballymena Showgrounds, both in the main arena and on the 3G pitch.

While Broughshane will be hosting a number of junior matches they will also host the Semi Finals and Play-Offs from the Premier Section. Teams will also compete in Broughshane for the Bowl Final, which is followed by the Vase 3rd/4th Play-Off on Thursday 26th of July.

Football enthusiasts will also get the chance to see Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle Utd, and Northern Ireland all playing in Ballymena Showgrounds during the tournament.

In total, 4 Premier matches, 3 Elite matches and 6 Junior matches will be held at the Ballymena Showgrounds and to round off the week in Ballymena, there will be the N.I. Milk Cup Finals.

In a repeat of last year, Ballymena Showgrounds will also have the finals broadcast live on BBC 2 NI on Thursday 26th July.

This is another great opportunity for Ballymena to be showcased on the world stage.