SEVERAL Fermanagh clubs made impressive starts at the 2025 Foyle Cup after thousands turned out in Derry for the tournament’s vibrant opening parade on Monday.
The parade — a traditional curtain-raiser to one of Europe’s largest youth football festivals — saw teams from across the globe gather at Ulster University’s Magee campus before marching through the city centre to Guildhall Square, led by the Lislaird pipe band.
The procession set the tone for a week packed with grassroots action, with tournament organiser Philip Devlin telling BBC Radio Foyle the event “does the heart good.”
“The work that goes on in the background is immense,” he said. “We used to have it on the Tuesday but moved it to Monday as we felt it really gears the kids up for the week ahead. If you live close to a pitch, there will be a game there — there are games everywhere.”
And he wasn’t wrong. More than 3,600 matches will be played across Derry, Donegal and Tyrone this week, with almost 1,000 teams competing across boys’ and girls’ age groups from U8 to U18. Around 20,000 young players are taking part.
The opening day also brought its challenges, with heavy traffic and long delays reported on several key routes. Organisers urged visitors to plan ahead, particularly around city centre and pitch-side venues.
On the pitch, Enniskillen Town’s U8s kicked off with a 3-0 win over Culmore, thanks to a double from Conor MacMahon and a tidy finish from Davidas Kaminskas.
Town’s first-ever girls’ team showed promise despite a 6-1 loss to a strong Linfield side, with Alanna McLoughlin grabbing a superb consolation goal.
The U9s edged Clooney 1-0 courtesy of a fine strike by Cillian McLernon, while the U10s also got off to a winning start with a 1-0 victory over Trojans.
The U11s played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Don Boscos, and the U12s rounded off the day with an impressive 3-0 win in an all-Fermanagh clash against Lisnaskea Rovers.
Enniskillen Rangers Youth also made a strong start, with the U11s beating Clooney 5-1 and the U14 girls seeing off Phoenix Athletic 2-0, thanks to a Lucy Cathcart brace and a composed team performance.
Irvinestown Wanderers fielded several sides. Their 2016s came from behind to earn a draw with Eglinton, while the U8 boys were unlucky in a 2-1 loss to Aileach, despite dominating for spells. The 2012 side shared six goals in a 3-3 draw with St Oliver Plunkett Colts.
The club’s youngest girls’ team (2016/17) enjoyed a dream debut, defeating Newbuildings 4-1. Captain Darcy Boylan netted twice, with Emily Maguire and Neve McDonnell also on target. In the 2012/13 age group, they narrowly lost 2-1 to Moville despite a strong second-half showing.
It is Ballinamallard United’s 26th year in attendance at the tournament, and they also enjoyed a flying start.
The 2012s edged Phoenix Academy 1-0, with Henry McNiece’s angled finish proving decisive.
The 2013s stormed to a 7-2 win over Portrush, with Jude McCoy bagging a brace and five others also on target.
There was also a clean sheet for the Mallards’ 2014 Colts, who ran out 4-0 winners over Phoenix Colts. Danny McGonigle struck a hat-trick while Joshua Squince also scored.
The club’s U9s (2016) saw off Titans 3-1, with three different players getting on the scoresheet.
Tummery Athletic had 20 games across their age groups on day one, returning 11 wins and two draws in a strong start for the Dromore club.
Kesh’s U9s, U10s, U11s and U13s and two u19 and u17 sides put together by Erne Coaching were also among the action as a whole host of local clubs got their Foyle Cup campaigns underway.
And that was only a snippet of the action. It’s early doors, but Foyle Cup 2025 is already showing why it’s the highlight of the summer for so many.
Follow O’Neills Foyle Cup on Facebook for updates, with some live coverage available there — as well as TikTok — and a ‘Foyle Cup Clips’ public forum for videos.