Looking back at the 24th Nghe An Newspaper Cup Tournament: Successes and new marks

Provincial leaders and the Organizing Committee awarded the Championship Cup to the Do Luong Youth Team. Photo: Duc Anh

A memorable week of competition

After a week of exciting competition,Youth and Children's Football Tournament - Nghe An Newspaper CupThe 24th edition of the 2022 tournament, co-organized by Nghe An Newspaper, Nghe An Department of Culture and Sports, Nghe An Department of Education and Training and Song Lam Nghe An Football Joint Stock Company, has closed... This year's tournament has the participation of 28 football teams from 21 districts, cities and towns; with the participation of nearly 500 athletes. Within the framework of the tournament, 52 matches took place, including 37 matches for children and 15 matches for teenagers.

It can be saidThe 24th Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth and Children Football Tournament, 2022 was a great success in many aspects. Regarding the organization: The tournament took place on a large scale and was impressive; the competition field was up to standard; communication work was carried out methodically and professionally on many platforms and publications of Nghe An Newspaper; personnel work was ensured. Under the direction of a team of experienced referees, the matches were all fair, objective, and attractive... The Organizing Committee did not receive any complaints related to personnel work and competition.

Provincial leaders and the Organizing Committee awarded the Championship Cup to Tan Ky Children's Team. Photo: Duc Anh

Throughout the season, the teams have been well prepared, the players entered the tournament with a high competitive spirit. Each match demonstrated the individual level of each team with young players with good technique, ball handling ability, good tactical thinking, and high professional quality. The young players have tried their best and devoted themselves to the tournament, giving the audience exciting, enthusiastic and dramatic moments, with beautiful goals and good matches. The statistics have shown that: There have been 255 goals scored, an average of 5 goals/match in the youth field, 5 goals/match in the children's field.

This season, Nghe An football fans are really excited about the performances of the highland teams Con Cuong, Que Phong, Quy Chau. Although they have not achieved high results, these teams have played with great determination and enthusiasm, causing many difficulties for the championship candidates. Besides the newly emerging teams, creating interesting surprises, traditional teams such as Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh, Do Luong, Tan Ky, Hoang Mai, Dien Chau still show their strength. What is easy to see in this playground is that there is not much difference in professional level. According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Nghia - Deputy General Director of Song Lam Nghe An Football Club: This season the professional quality is very good because the teams have quite even levels and many quality players.

Joy of victory surged. Photo: Duc Anh

One of the factors contributing to the success of the tournament is the attention and participation of authorities at all levels. Before the tournament, many localities organized tournaments from commune to district level to select personnel to participate in the tournament, creating motivation for the development of mass sports movements. During the tournament, there was always the presence of leaders from the provincial to district, city and town levels as well as sponsors to watch and cheer, with timely rewards when the children achieved high results as well as encouragement when they did not win. Typical examples are the leaders of Do Luong and Quynh Luu districts...

Mr. Nguyen Van Ky - Director of the Center for Culture, Sports and Communication of Quynh Luu district said: The presence of the leaders has always created a joyful and close atmosphere between adults and children, demonstrating the attention of Party committees and authorities at all levels to the mass sports movement, promoting the football movement in particular and mass sports in general to develop more and more.

Audience and fans share joy with the victory of Tan Ky Children's Team. Photo: Duc Anh

The success of the tournament also comes from the enthusiasm of the spectators who come to cheer for the teams. They are people who do not mind the long distance, from Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Quy Chau, Que Phong, Hoang Mai, Tan Ky... are all ready to put aside all work to follow and support the teams. These spectators are willing to stand under the blazing sun or in sudden rains to cheer for their home team. One of the typical fans is Mr. Lang Hong Quang, in Yen Thanh district. This year, at 79 years old, he still drives from Yen Thanh to Vinh to cheer for his home team, for the youth football of his province; even though he does not have any grandchildren or great-grandchildren participating in this tournament.

Open the future

The Youth - Children Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup has not only created dramatic and exciting football parties, but also opened up an interesting playground for children. Here, athletes have had the opportunity to exchange and learn in the spirit of "Honest, noble and united sports". There are many strangely pure and innocent stories...

Dien Chau Children's players comforted Yen Thanh Children's players after the match. Photo: Diep Thanh

That is the story of the young players of Dien Chau team encouraging the young players of Yen Thanh team - their opponents in the semi-final match: "Don't cry anymore, stop crying, there's still next year!"; "You guys played well, there are many more tournaments!"... It is the story of the coach of the Yen Thanh District Youth Team, Vu Duc Quyet, instructing his students: "I don't care about the score, you just need to play with all your might. If your friend falls, you will pull him up, play beautifully and well, so you can be proud when you look back." Or the coach of the Thai Hoa Children's Team, Thai Khac Bien, encouraged his students' spirit after the loss: "I am very proud that you have performed very well in all the matches. When competing, there are wins and losses, we have to accept this. The important thing is that we must turn that sadness into motivation to go home and continue training."

The atmosphere in the stands of the tournament was frenzied. Photo: Thanh Duy

At the Nghe An Newspaper Cup, the young players not only “play football well, study well” but also are very well-behaved. Coming to this playground, when seeing parents lingering to pick up trash in the stands and on the field after the match ended, the young players also learned and followed suit. They walked around the stands with nylon bags to pick up trash and ask for plastic bottles. When asked why, these players explained: “We are picking up trash to help the old lady over there. She collects plastic bottles to sell for money, we help her pick them up quickly, give her a lot, so she won’t be tired.”

Every competition has winners and losers. However, in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, there is no loser. Because in all the matches, the young players have tried their best, showing their desire, will to rise up and strive to overcome themselves. Each match is a chance for the players to be trained and have their own lessons. Experience in the tournament will help the players grow both physically and mentally.

Participating in the tournament, the young players had the opportunity to interact with famous Vietnamese football coaches and stars. Photo: Duc Anh

And also believe that, when returning to the tournament, the players had their own joy and pride. The joy is that they had a very meaningful summer with experiences on the sidelines of the tournament such as interacting with famous Vietnamese football coaches and stars; watching the training sessions of the first team of Song Lam Nghe An Club and immersing themselves in the exciting atmosphere of the Four-Hero Tournament at Vinh Stadium. Besides, many football teams also organized for the children to visit historical sites in Vinh city and surrounding areas. Proud to represent thousands of good football-playing teenagers and children from their hometown districts, cities and towns to compete in the tournament. Let's use that pride to multiply the confidence and excitement of this playground to reach new heights and achieve greater success.

The Youth - Children's Football Tournament of Nghe An Newspaper Cup is no longer a mere sports tournament but a playground, a ladder opening up a new horizon, wider, higher for children's dreams to fly far. Through watching the matches in this year's season, the coaches of Song Lam Nghe An Football Club have selected nearly 50 players to participate in the tournament into the gifted class of the Song Lam Nghe An "furnace".

Congratulations and farewell from the Head of the Organizing Committee. Photo: Duc Anh

Closing this year's tournament, comrade Ngo Duc Kien - Party Secretary, Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper, Head of the Organizing Committee sent a letter of thanks to all levels, sectors, organizations, units and individuals. The letter expressed: "We hope to continue to receive your attention, support and cooperation in the coming seasons, contributing to creating a healthy and useful playground for children during the summer, thereby further promoting the development of Nghe An football and the sports movement".

Thanh Chung