UCC to host Collingwood Cup early next month
Ireland’s oldest soccer competition is to be hosted in Cork next month, with University College Cork hosting the 104th Collingwood Cup.
First hosted in 1914, the Irish Universities Football Union (IUFU) tournament will see nine universities compete across three days from Monday 17 February to Wednesday 19 February.
The tournament will take place at the UCC Sports Complex in Curaheen and the UCC Sports Grounds in the Mardyke, as UCC hosts for the first time in nine years.
Joining hosts UCC and defending champions University of Limerick in the competition are Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Queens University Belfast, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University of Galway and Ulster University.
Sponsored by Macron, Ulster University play University of Galway in the preliminary round of the Cup on 22 January.
This year’s tournament was launched on Monday at an event at UCC’s Mardyke Arena, where the quarter final and semi final draws were also held.
Following the draw, UCD will take on Maynooth University, hosts UCC will face Queen’s University Belfast, DCU will go head-to-head with University of Galway or Ulster University, and holders UL will open the defence of their title against Trinity College Dublin.
In the semi finals, the winners of the match between DCU and University of Galway/Ulster University will play either UCC or Queen’s, and whoever emerges from the tie between UL or Trinity will take on UCD or Maynooth.
The quarter finals will take place on Monday 17 February, followed by the semi finals on Tuesday, 18 February. The final will be held on Wednesday 19 February at the Mardyke.
Morgan Buckley, Head of UCC Sport said: “We are truly honoured to host the Collingwood Cup, one of the most historic and prestigious tournaments in domestic football. We’re excited to welcome the country’s top third level teams to our grounds for this incredible event. A heartfelt thanks to the UCC Sport team, UCC Soccer Club, IUFU, and Greg Yelverton for their dedication and hard work in making this tournament possible.”
Greg Yelverton UCC Soccer Development Officer said: “We are delighted to host this year’s Macron Collingwood Cup. We last hosted it in 2016, so we look forward to welcoming all the teams to Cork again. It should be an entertaining tournament.
“As hosts we are working hard to ensure it will be an enjoyable experience for the players and coaches visiting Cork. Third level football has very talented players involved, so to have this competition here is exciting for all involved,” he added.
Ray O'Malley IUFU Chairperson said: “The IUFU is delighted to be heading to UCC for this season’s Collingwood Cup. UCC and Cork are synonymous with Collingwood Cup folklore both on and off the pitch. It will be a new experience for University of Limerick as defending champions, and it promises to be another highly competitive and exciting tournament.”