THE West Cork Academy will send an U14 schoolgirls team to this summer’s O’Neills Foyle Cup as part of a busy schedule in which the region’s schoolboys squads will also travel to Northern Ireland, the UK and Europe.
Every year one of Europe’s premier schoolboys and schoolgirls international football tournaments, the Foyle Cup, attracts some of the continent’s top youth clubs to Northern Ireland.
Staged in Derry during July, the West Cork Academy will enter an U14 schoolgirls team in this year’s event.
In 2023, following on from the region’s magnificent third-place finish at the SFAI Kennedy Cup, West Cork’s U13 schoolboys secured an equally impressive third overall placing at the Foyle Cup.
Four hundred teams took part in last year’s tournament with over 1,500 matches completed during a six-day span.
Despite not fielding schoolgirls inter-league teams this season, the West Cork Academy had already decided to send an U14 schoolgirls entry to Derry.
‘We have decided to bring the Academy’s 2010-born schoolgirls and enter them in this year’s O’Neill’s Foyle Cup,’ the West Cork Academy’s DJ Curtin confirmed to The Southern Star.
‘A lack of available coaches meant we decided not to field academy schoolgirls teams in this season’s SFAI National Inter-League competitions. We did agree to enter 2010-born schoolgirls (as well as possibly one or two 2009 and 2008-born players) in this year’s Foyle Cup.
‘That squad will begin training in the middle of March and start their build up to what should be an exciting tournament next July. Abbie Sheehan (Castlelack FC) and I will be in charge of the group that travels to Derry.’
***
West Cork’s youngest academy entrants, the U12s, took part in the group stages of SFAI Inter-League competitions for the first time this season. Encouragingly, huge numbers attended trials to get on this year’s U12 and development academy squads. Focus on this fledgling age-grade remains all about finding your feet at national inter-league level. In August, the West Cork U12 schoolboys squad will travel to Belfast and play a series of friendlies to round off their first campaign.
‘There are the makings of a very good squad from this year’s U12s,’ DJ Curtin said. ‘To be fair, it has been difficult for our West Cork Academy U12s because all the leagues that they faced in their group section are in the middle of their (respective) club seasons. They all looked pretty sharp whereas we are still in our club off-season.
‘Our guys wouldn’t have played domestic football over the last couple of months so that made for a tough inter-league. Still, it was a good introduction, and they see the level they have to get to. That’s what you get introduced to in year one of academy football. We hope that they will kick on when they reach the U13 age-grade. The U12s trained very well all season and the coaching ticket is good so they have a lot to look forward to.’
***
Ahead of another SFAI Kennedy Cup tournament, both of this year’s West Cork Academy’s U13 and U14 Schoolboys SFAI National Inter-League performances bode well.
The U13s will visit Birmingham for their end-of-season trip in May. As for the West Cork U14s, they will be eager to emulate last year’s historic third overall finish at the Kennedy Cup. As well as competing in June’s annual tournament at the University of Limerick, the U14 schoolboys will also play in Barcelona in April and at the Clare Cup in May.
‘Our U13 and U14 performances over the past couple of months have been very, very encouraging,’ DJ Curtin surmised.
‘We had a terrific result up in Sligo against Sligo-Leitrim and were unlucky at home to Limerick District. We were missing a few players through illness against Limerick. Overall, you’d have to be quite happy with the progress of both squads.
‘The domestic West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League season begins in March. That will only help sharpen up our academy players. The coaches are very happy with our U13 and U14 players' progression.’
***
West Cork’s U15 schoolboys are currently finalising plans for a UK mid-term trip that will include high-profile friendlies against Premier League and Championship Academy opposition.
An SFAI Munster final against Waterford and SFAI National Inter-League Shield clash away to Mayo await the rural academy’s U16 schoolboys in the coming weeks. Next November, the U16s will be in Salou, Spain, for another Surf Cup tournament appearance.
‘The Academy’s U16 schoolboys are awaiting details of when their rearranged SFAI Munster U16 Schoolboys Trophy final will take place,’ DJ Curtin explained. ‘That final was supposed to have been played in Cahir but was postponed due to all the stormy weather that caused a load of cancellations around the country two weeks ago.
‘Our U15s completed their SFAI group stage against North Tipperary recently. They are now awaiting the draw for the knockout stages of their own age-grade’s competition.’
So, there has been plenty of SFAI Inter-League action in the 2023/24 season but even more to look forward to for the West Cork Academy over the coming months.
