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Northern Ireland\u2019s Gareth McAuley celebrates at the final whistle after defeating Ukraine during Thursdays second Euro 2016 game at the Stade de Lyon, France.<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland legend Gareth McAuley MBE will officially open this summer\u2019s Budget Energy SuperCupNI, as one of the country\u2019s most respected footballing figures helps kick off the 42nd edition of Northern Ireland\u2019s premier youth football tournament.<\/p>\n
The former West Bromwich Albion defender, who earned 80 caps for his country and played a key role at UEFA Euro 2016, will lead 62 elite boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 teams through the streets of Coleraine on Sunday 27th July, before officially declaring the 2025 tournament open at the Coleraine Showgrounds.<\/p>\n
A commanding centre-back during his playing days, McAuley competed in the tournament as in 1994 when represented the Dundonald Junior League in the Boys\u2019 Junior Section, before going on to enjoy a distinguished career in England with Ipswich Town, Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion.<\/p>\n
Since retiring in 2019 at the age of 39, following a 23-year playing career, McAuley has remained a key figure in the international setup, working as a coach with Northern Ireland\u2019s Under-17 and Under-19 squads before being appointed manager of the Under-19 men\u2019s team in 2023.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland legend Gareth McAuley MBE, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a real honour to be invited to open this year\u2019s Budget Energy SuperCupNI. I have so many fond memories of playing in the tournament as a teenager and it was a massive part of my own football journey.<\/p>\n
Northern Ireland\u2019s Gareth McAuley celebrates at the final whistle after defeating Ukraine during Thursdays second Euro 2016 game at the Stade de Lyon, France.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made lifelong friends and memories playing at the tournament and what always stood out to me was how many of my teammates throughout my professional career talked about playing in it with the fondest of memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe crowds, the energy, and the sense of occasion right across the week, not to mention the top-class football, make this tournament really special. It\u2019s also a vital platform for young local talent to showcase their ability against top international opposition and to experience the standards needed to progress in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone looks forward to the welcome parade and opening ceremony. It\u2019s such a brilliant occasion, with the streets packed full of people cheering the players on and giving the visiting teams a warm Northern Ireland welcome. It\u2019ll be fantastic to be part of that atmosphere once again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2025 Budget Energy SuperCupNI will take place from Sunday 27th July to Friday 1st August, bringing together 62 elite boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 teams from across the globe for one of the world\u2019s premier youth football tournaments, with over 55,000 spectators expected to enjoy an unforgettable week of top-class football.<\/p>\n
More than 1,200 of the brightest young players will compete in over 150 matches across five age groups, with fixtures taking place at top-class venues throughout Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council areas.<\/p>\n
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Northern Ireland\u2019s Gareth McAuley celebrates scoring against Ukraine during Thursdays second Euro 2016 game at the Stade de Lyon, France.<\/p>\n
Victor Leonard, Chairperson of Budget Energy SuperCupNI, said: \u201cWe\u2019re absolutely delighted that Gareth has agreed to officially open this year\u2019s tournament. He\u2019s not only one of Northern Ireland\u2019s most respected footballing figures, but someone who understands first-hand what the Budget Energy SuperCupNI means to young players, their families and friends, having played in the tournament as a teenager.<\/p>\n
\u201cGareth\u2019s journey from competing in the tournament to becoming a mainstay on the international stage is exactly the kind of story that continues to inspire the next generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis presence will bring real excitement to what is already shaping up to be a fantastic week of football, with so many top-class teams showcasing the very best of local and international talent across our boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 sections.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Budget Energy SuperCupNI will feature some of the biggest names in world football, including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion, West Ham United, Celtic, Rangers, Aston Villa and UAE giants Al Jazira Club.<\/p>\n
They will compete alongside leading sides from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including Linfield, Coleraine, Crusaders, Cliftonville, Glenavon, Loughgall, Ballymena United, St Patrick\u2019s Athletic, Bohemians, and Shamrock Rovers, as well as the six County representative teams.<\/p>\n
John Rooney, Managing Director of Budget Energy, added: \u201cHaving someone of Gareth McAuley\u2019s stature officially open this year\u2019s tournament speaks to everything the SuperCupNI represents. It gives young players a platform to compete, grow, and dream big.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis journey from a teenage participant to an international footballer, who famously scored Northern Ireland\u2019s first-ever goal at a European Championship during Euro 2016, is exactly the kind of story that inspires the next generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are incredibly proud to support a tournament that continues to shine a spotlight on emerging talent from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and around the world. It helps create the kind of experiences and memories that stay with young players and their families for a lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2025 Budget Energy SuperCupNI is proudly supported by headline partner Budget Energy<\/a>, alongside a strong line-up of valued partners including Tourism NI<\/a>; Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council<\/a>; Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council<\/a>; Mid and East Antrim Borough Council<\/a>; Sterling Insurance<\/a>; Creagh Concrete<\/a>; Uhlsport<\/a>; Clearer Water<\/a>; Tesco<\/a>; The Premier League<\/a>; TrustFord<\/a>; 247.tv<\/a>; and BuyTicketApp<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Northern Ireland legend Gareth McAuley MBE will officially open this summer\u2019s Budget Energy SuperCupNI, as one of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":199484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[1144,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-199483","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-northern-ireland","9":"tag-uk","10":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114714944757347383","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}