The Community Perspective

The idea for this Prestigious Competition has been brewing for over two years and we are glad to say the time has arrived. The three day event playing host to two Cups, one being the U17 and the other U13 opens the window for a variety of age groups. Our aim is to make this cross-community and cross-border football tournament as professional as possible. Continuous preparation and training has been imposed behind the scenes by our committee and volunteers to ensure the experience for all those taking part will be a remembered one. Our goal is to make this an annual event just like the Milk Cup and Foyle Cup which are two of Northern Ireland's most prestigious youth tournaments. We feel with the resources we have at our disposal and with the local community behind the tournament 100%, we have the right foundation to make 2009 the birth of something special and what better name for the Cup than the legend that is George Best.

Our unique Tournament will be holding 30 minute educational periods which we will call workshops. The areas we will be covering are Anti – racism, Anti – Sectarianism, Drug and Alcohol Awareness and Arts. Our aim is to make everyone fully aware of what is taking place on a day to day basis throughout all our communities at the hope of making this experience a fantastic sporting event, but also an educational learning curve for up to 480 youths. The feedback we have received from the surrounding community has been totally positive and has given all involved a real boost leading up to the opening of the tournament. The overall view seems to be that there was a real gap for this tournament to be held in Belfast, in that we already know of the Milk Cup and the Foyle Cup and how successful they’ve become and we are of the view we have the potential to be just as successful and with the support of our sponsors and community we aim to make our dream a reality.

The tournament event builds on a very successful single identity football tournament organized by Sydenham Historical and Cultural Society in 2008. The George Best Community Cup will encourage children of all cultural and religious backgrounds to participate and will supply a new and effective way of addressing sectarianism and division in our society. The Cup will take place in conjunction with the Titanic Festival in East Belfast at the aim of having something for everyone. With a range of Cultural, Historical and family events; what better way to polish off a memorable experience. So if you’re playing, supporting a relative or maybe just a neutral spectator your sure not to be disappointed.