NI youngsters off to World Cup
Zach and Rex earn dream trip to Russia
Northern Ireland will be represented - in a small way - at the World Cup which kicks off today.
Promising young footballer Zach Cowan (12) from Portadown (pictured right)is taking part in a major youth tournament in Moscow after being chosen to travel to Russia by a panel of elite youth coaches.
He is joined by Rex Henderson, also 12, from Greenisland, who won a contest for young football writers run by the IFA.
Their trip to Russia has been organised through the Football For Friendship (F4F) programme, which is aimed at fostering social values such as respect for other cultures and nations, equality and peace as well as encouraging young people to adopt healthy lifestyles.
The main activities of this year’s F4F programme - it is now in its sixth year - are an International Friendship Camp, an F4F World Championship and an International Children’s Forum in Moscow from June 8 to 15 where more than 200 countries will be represented.
Zach, a member of JD Club NI, the Irish FA’s elite player development programme, has been chosen to play in the F4F World Championship in Moscow on 12 June based on assessments by JD Club NI coaches.
The youth tournament will feature 32 International Teams of Friendship (six-a-side) and Zach will be in a team called Polar Bear. Playing as a defender, he will have team-mates from Switzerland, Hong Kong, England, Ethiopia and Belgium.
And Zach, who attends the Irish FA’s Performance School at Integrated College Dungannon and plays for Portadown FC Youth Under-12s, and the others are set to be coached by a 16-year-old from Panama. Zach will be accompanied to Russia by Irish FA elite performance coach Darren Murphy.
Rex, who is a pupil at Belfast Royal Academy and actually plays at youth level for Crusaders, is set to report on the youth football tournament and the F4F International Children’s Forum after winning an Irish FA contest to find a young football writer to cover both events.
He had to submit a 350-word report on any local football match and Crusaders fan Rex’s report on his favourite team was judged the best by an Irish FA panel. Rex’s dad Ryan will be accompanying him to Russia.
Gazprom, which sponsors F4F and is a partner of FIFA and the 2018 World Cup, is hosting the group from Northern Ireland and the other groups from around the world.
Following the F4F tournament and the forum they will all later attend the opening ceremony and first match featuring hosts Russia against Saudi Arabia in Moscow’s 81,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium.