3,000 players and fans soak up sun at Windsor Cabinteely FC Mini World Cup

KILBOGGET Park was a hive of activity last week as 1,260 kids turned out to compete in the annual Windsor Cabinteely FC Mini World Cup and to enjoy the sporting camaraderie that is unique to the event.

The colourful tournament took place in magnificent sunshine over two weeks with the young players forming no less than 110 teams who played a whopping 440 matches.

Irish football legend and FAI Brand Ambassador, Richard Dunne, was on hand to present the winners medals to the teams of children who battled it out in the finals across 18 groups.

All pics by Fintan Clarke/Coalesce

Noah Gibbons at the Cabinteely FC World Cup tournament.

Caleb Kelly, Sam Dunne and Ollie Doyle at the Cabinteely FC World Cup tournament.

Megan Kavanagh, Lucie Poulton and Tara McDonnell at the Cabinteely FC World Cup tournament.

Amy Fagan and Isla Taylor at the Cabinteely FC World Cup tournament.
Pic: Fintan Clarke/Coalesce

The tournament is the highlight of the year for local children aged 5 to 13 and is also part of Cabinteely FC’s Football for All Club Programme which is run in association with Special Olympics Ireland and Enable Ireland.

Sponsors Windsor Bray Nissan and Windsor Deansgrange Nissan and a team of 150 volunteers pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable event for the young 9 a-side teams competing in the half-hour games each evening.

Pic: Fintan Clarke/Coalesce

The huge voluntary effort that Cabinteely F.C. puts into organising the tournament was rewarded when Windsor surprised the club with a VIP Coaching Experience at the FAI’s National Training Centre in Abbotstown where underage players will be put through their paces by the FAI’s National Development Officers

One of the biggest attractions at the tournament was Nissan’s giant Footdart Game which gave sharp-shooting kids the opportunity to hit the highest score to win two tickets to see Ireland play the Netherlands at the Aviva Stadium on 10th September.

Parents who test drove the all-new Nissan Qashqai e-POWER during the tournament have also been entered into a draw to win the car.

The draw remains open to anyone test driving the car at the Windsor Bray or Windsor Deansgrange dealerships before 1st July.

The best-selling electrified cross-over is proving to be massive hit with drivers who want to enjoy the benefits of EV driving without ever having to plug in the car to recharge it.

It takes hybrid driving to the next level and drives in electric mode 100% of the time.

“Windsor are proud to be the title sponsor of the Cabinteely FC Mini World Cup. The tournament is an unforgettable experience for young players, spectators, and football fans.

“The camaraderie amongst the teams is really something special and the fun atmosphere and skills on display have been wonderful to enjoy,” said Peter Nicholson, Managing Director of Windsor.

“The tournament is the highlight of the sporting calendar across the wider community. It brings young athletes from all backgrounds and skill levels together. It epitomises everything that is great about sport, football and volunteering. The young players who took centre stage are the lifeblood of the sport and we hope to see them progress as future Ireland and world soccer stars,” he added.

“One of the things that makes the Windsor Cabinteely FC Mini World Cup unique is that you don’t have to be a member of a club to play. Everyone can join in the fun. The teams are also made up of members from different clubs in the area. It helps kids to develop friendships and skills and it supports the club’s pathway programme which develops players from U.5 level all the way up to play League of Ireland football,” said Pat Devlin, Director of Football, Bray Wanderers. Cabinteely FC are partnered with Bray Wanderers.