Comrades invited to take part in Foyle Cup again The Ballyclare Comrades F.C. Manager, Gordon Chambers, is delighted that the club has received an invitation to attend the 2010 Foyle Cup at both the U16 and U18 age groups.  “This is the 6th year running that we have got the invitation to enter this tournament” said Gordon “which is a great compliment to Ballyclare Comrades and its youth development system.  This tournament is superbly organised and provides our youth teams with top quality opposition from not just local clubs but also from Ireland, England and Europe.  This high standard proves to be of great benefit to our young players as they prepare to hopefully play Irish League football for the club in years to come.  The selection and training process for the Foyle Cup 2010 will start towards the end of May and the schedule that has been arranged should mean that the players will be at their peak when the tournament begins on 19th July.  Last year our squads acquitted themselves well, with a 3rd place finish for our U18’s and I am hoping that we as a club can keep that consistency and progression going” commented Gordon.   Gordon expressed his thanks and gratitude to the Ballyclare Comrades staff that will be in charge of the squads when he said “this venture entails undertaking a prepared period of training followed by an intense week of matches which requires staying in the Londonderry area for the duration of the tournament and to achieve this a high level of commitment and dedication is required.”  Gordon continued “this can not be achieved without the support of our coaches associated with the two squads and for that all the players and the club are extremely grateful.”  Youth Development Section Annual Trip At Easter the Ballyclare Comrades Youth Development Section ventured on their annual club trip to the Greater Manchester area.  The trip started when the party left Larne early on Friday 2nd April and finished when they returned back to DixonPark late on Monday 5th April.  This year the club was represented by the Under 11 and Under 12 age groups and they stayed, as in previous years at the CrestaCourtHotel, which is situated in the town of Altrincham which as always provided the group with perfect accommodation and an ideal base for all the players and staff.  On the Saturday morning the party travelled to Preston where all the clubs young players participated in a coaching session at the PrestonNorthEndYouthAcademy.  This proved to be popular with the players and they thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hours spent with the Preston North End Youth Academy Director and his coaches.  After the coaching session the party made the short journey to Deepdale, the home ground of Preston North End F.C., as guests at the championship game against Watford.  The game proved to be an entertaining 1-1 draw with the players enjoying the atmosphere and the overall experience of their visit to Preston. On Sunday the club's teams played in the Hand of Friendship Tournament 2010 which was hosted by Sale United F.C.  This tournament is an annual event that is played between the two clubs at Easter for the past 8 years.  This year the honours were even with the Ballyclare Comrades Under 11’s winning their game with a 4-0 scoreline and the Sale United U12’s coming out on top at their age group. After the two games had finished a presentation ceremony was held in the Sale United club house when medals where presented to all the players that participated after which hospitality was provided for all the players, coaching staff and officials of both clubs.  To mark the occasion manager of Ballyclare Comrades, Gordon Chambers, made a presentation on behalf of the club to the chairman of Sale United and expressed his gratitude on behalf of all the Ballyclare Comrades players and staff for the organisation and hospitality provided by their hosts. The trip however was not just about football as there was many off the field activities planned for the players to take advantage off. On the Saturday evening all the players went to Laser Quest in the magnificent Trafford Centre and on the Sunday the complete party made the 1 hour journey to Blackpool for an evening of fun and enjoyment at the famous PleasureBeach and a good time was had by all. Monday morning brought an early start to travel the 220 miles back to Scotland for the boat home. After saying their farewells and presenting a shield on behalf of the club to the Cresta Court Hotel they headed to Southwaite service station the halfway point in the our journey where the party had a bite to eat.  After this it was up the motorway to Cairnryan, across the Irish Sea and back to Ballyclare. A thoroughly enjoyable 4 days with the players providing the entertainment on the field, the coaching staff providing the entertainment off the field and everyone looking forward to Easter 2011 already. Well done to everyone involved both Players and Coaching staff alike.