The 24th Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament 2022: The children's football festival returns

Traditional playground, talent launch pad

Youth and Children Football Tournament, Nghe An Newspaper Cupwas established in 1996, originating from the enthusiasm of Party journalists and those working in the province's Culture - Sports sector. From a grassroots tournament, the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament has become an official annual traditional tournament of Nghe An province. The tournament takes place on the occasion of International Children's Day (June 1) and Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21).

Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Van Thong encouraged young players participating in the Youth Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper Cup. Photo: Ho Phuong

Over the past 23 years, the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament has become increasingly impressive, has had a strong influence and received special attention from provincial leaders, all levels, sectors, districts, parents and children. The tournament has created a healthy and useful playground for children and teenagers during the summer, contributing to promoting the socialization of physical education and sports in the province, the development of Nghe An football and the whole country. From the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, many localities across the country have had a model of organizing provincial-level youth football tournaments; districts, cities and towns in Nghe An have organized youth football tournaments at ward, commune and district levels.

Since 2013, the tournament has been organized by Nghe An Newspaper, Department of Culture and Sports and Song Lam Joint Stock Company. Since 2019, the tournament has had the additional support of PVF Football Training Center. The support of this leading football training center in Vietnam is the most vivid evidence for the spread and increasing level of the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament.

Mr. Pascal Vaudequin - Deputy Director of PVF Football Training Center presented the souvenir flag and encouraged the players participating in the 2019 Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament. Photo: Nguyen Dao

Through the TN-ND Football TournamentNghe An Newspaper Cup, many young players from all over Nghe An were selected by Song Lam Nghe An Football Club and youth football training centers across the country such as: Viettel, Hanoi, PVF, Hoang Anh Gia Lai... Hundreds of players who grew up from Nghe An Newspaper Cup have been playing for professional football teams, first and second division at home and abroad as well as for Vietnam national teams.

Among them, many players have grown up and become top stars of Vietnam through the ages such as Van Quyen, Cong Vinh, Duong Hong Son, Van Binh, Trong Hoang, Dinh Dong, Cong Phuong, Nguyen Manh, Minh Duc, Nhu Thuat, Que Ngoc Hai, Nguyen Van Hoang, Phan Van Duc, Pham Xuan Manh, Dang Van Lam,Dinh Xuan Tien… It can be said that at any time, Nghe An football has football talents contributing to the national team, players who were nurtured and discovered from the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament.

There are many players who grew up from the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament who are currently playing for the national team. Photo: source

The difference between the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament and other tournaments is that in addition to the prizes for the winning teams and excellent players, the organizing committee also awards prizes to players who are good at studying and playing football. Every year, dozens to hundreds of young players are awarded this prize. This is a form of encouragement, reminding children with football talent to take care of their education, develop comprehensively, and deserve to be good children and good students. From this prize, some localities, when organizing their own children's football tournaments, also set aside funds to award prizes to players who are good at studying and playing football, such as Quynh Luu, Quy Chau, Thai Hoa town...

In order for the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament to be successful and have a strong spread, in addition to the constant efforts of the Organizing Committee, there is also the response of many parents, schools, Party committees, authorities, sectors, businesses and a large number of fans. This has created conditions for the teams as well as the Organizing Committee to build an increasingly large and professional tournament.

The Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament is an interesting playground and a nursery for football talents. Photo: source

Mr. Nguyen Hong Thanh - former General Director, former Chairman of SLNA Football Club once stated: "The Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament is not only a place to discover young football talents, a useful playground but also an opportunity for children to practice themselves in the spirit of "Honest, noble and united sports". In addition, the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament is a measure of the heart and care of each locality, unit, business and individual for children and for the grassroots sports movement".

Enter the Festival of Childhood

In 2020 and 2021, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nghe An Newspaper Youth Football Cup could not be held. Entering 2022, in the new normal context, Nghe An Newspaper, the Department of Culture and Sports and Song Lam Joint Stock Company are determined to re-organize the tournament to create a useful and interesting playground for children during the summer; discover talents for the province's football.

The matches in the Bao Cup are always exciting, dramatic and attractive. Photo: Thanh Cuong

On April 18, the Department of Culture and Sports of Nghe An officially issued the Regulations for the 24th Youth - Children's Football Tournament, Nghe An Newspaper Cup - 2022.

Accordingly: The 24th Youth Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup 2022 will take place from June 8 to June 16, 2022. Each district, city, and town will send 1 Youth Football team and 1 Children's Football team to Vinh city to compete. Children's age group is from 10 - 11 years old (born on January 1, 2011 or later). Teenagers are from 12-13 years old (born on January 1, 2009 or later). In the children's age group, the competition will be according to the Futsal Laws. The competition venue will be at Nghe An Provincial Gymnasium. In the youth age group, the competition will be according to the 7-a-side Football Laws. The competition venue will be at the artificial turf football field of Song Lam Nghe An Sports Joint Stock Company.

Future "stars" show off their talents and compete in the big festival. Photo: archive

Athletes who are trained at football clubs in Nghe An province and outside the province are not allowed to participate in this tournament (except for athletes in amateur talent classes and children's athletes who are trained at Song Lam Nghe An Football Club and have signed contracts from April 20, 2022) and are allowed to return to compete for districts, cities and towns.

This season, the Organizing Committee will award Cups, Flags, bonuses (VND 30 million), Gold Medals to teams winning the children's championship and youth championship; award flags, bonuses (VND 10 million), Silver Medals to teams winning second prize; award flags, bonuses (VND 7 million), Bronze Medals to teams sharing third prize; award flags, bonuses (VND 5 million) to teams winning style awards. In addition, the Organizing Committee will also award individual titles in the youth and children's age groups: best player, best goalkeeper, player scoring the most goals; award players who study well and play football well in the 2021 - 2022 school year (good students of the province and excellent students with an average grade point average of 8 points or higher).

Each match of the tournament attracts a large number of young football fans from the province to watch and cheer. Photo: source

In this year's season, with the thoughtful and methodical investment of the Organizing Committee, digital technology and social networks will continue to be strongly applied, contributing to spreading the tournament to all parts of the country and Nghe An football fans abroad. The matches are reported live on Nghe An Electronic Newspaper (www.baonghean.vn) and Nghe An Newspaper's fanpages, which will contribute to making the tournament more professional and attractive. The Organizing Committee will also invite national referees to take on the role of "weighing and judging" in the tournament.

To prepare for the tournament, localities in the province have organized youth football tournaments, going to schools to search for "talents", training factors, selecting teams to participate in the tournament... Mr. Dang Duy Hung - Director of the Center for Culture - Communication and Sports of Yen Thanh district revealed: "With the special attention of the district leaders, the absolute support of parents and the local community, Yen Thanh has had 2 football training and development classes. The team's goal is to repeat the achievement of the 22nd season in 2018, which is to win the championship in both age groups".

A team of reporters reporting on the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament. Photo: archive

This summer, the young players will have a fun, rewarding summer, full of memories. Young football fans in Nghe An province are eagerly awaiting the days of "eating football, sleeping football" - watching the performances and competitions of future football "stars" from the highlands of the "fire pan of Indochina" such as Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Anh Son... or football teams from the dry, cracked rice fields, the Lam River alluvial plains that burn the feet such as Yen Thanh, Thanh Chuong, Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan...

Thanh Chung