Westport United FC will be making the trip to Derry to take part in the Foyle Cup for the second year in succession. The club will be represented in the tournament's U.11 section where they are placed in Group G and are based at the Vale Centre, near the village of Greysteel (not far from Derry Airport) for their group matches. Westport United have been drawn against Fermanagh's Ballinamallard Colts, Tristar Colts from Derry, St Oliver Plunkett Juniors from Belfast, the Irish Football Association Girls Development Squad, which will have the best of girls talent from Northern Ireland and Armagh's Lurgan Celtic and each game will be of a very high standard against very good sides. United's final placing in the group will determine their future fixtures and venues for the remainder of the tournament.

To give a brief synopsis of this very popular tournament, which has grown since the early 1990's at a time that the Troubles were still ongoing and there was a drive to bring the two communities together in a bid to foster positive relationships and reduce sectarian tensions and the idea of a football tournament that would create friendships between the Nationalist/Republican community and the Unionist community was brought to fruition by organisers that had the vision to bring a brighter future for the youth of not only Derry but also a wider area of Northern Ireland. This event began in 1992 at the request of Derry City Council as part of Impact 92 programme. Since then, Derry City Council have continued to play a major part in the development of the tournament. The organisers, the Derry & District Youth F.A. enjoy an excellent relationship with and tremendous support from, Derry City Council’s Development Dept. ( who not only provide financial support but provide playing surfaces free of charge).

In the first year the event was essentially N.Ireland based and clubs affiliated to the Northern Ireland Boys Football Association were invited to participate. It was staged over one day, with 8 teams taking part in an U 14 and U16 event.

The event began to attract interest from mainland Britain and demand for places in the tournament increased, with entries now arriving from England, Scotland and Wales. As the demand increased so too did the number of entries and the length of the tournament. Growth in the tournament witnessed an entry of almost 90 teams from all over the UK for a six day event in 2005 .

The quality of entry has increased steadily each year with the top clubs in England, Scotland, N.Ireland and Republic of Ireland travelling to Derry to compete as well as a few annual entries from mainland Europe and North America. Every few years teams travel from South Africa. 2011 saw a record 144 entrants playing across age groups ranging from Under 10 (mini soccer) up to Under 19.

You can follow the Foyle Cup through www.foylecup.com and also through Facebook and Twitter platforms.

The following are the U.11 Group G fixtures for Westport United:

• 22nd July Vale Centre, A Westport Utd v Ballinamallard Colts 10:00
• 22nd July Vale Centre, B Tristar Colts v Westport Utd 10:45
• 23rd July Vale Centre, A Westport Utd v St Oliver Pkt Jun 13:00
• 23rd July Vale Centre, B IFA Girls Dev Sq v Westport Utd 13:45
• 24th July Vale Centre, A Westport Utd v Lurgan Celtic 10:00