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The Derry Girl adding a Merseyside flavour to this year's Foyle Cup

Paddy Leonard, 14 Jul

Football-mad Meaghan McCallion is gearing up for an emotional return to

her hometown of Derry as she prepares to compete in the O’Neills Foyle

Cup, 14 years on from a family move to Liverpool.

When the youngster discovered where her family would be moving to, she

was over the moon due to her footballing allegiance. Meaghan recalled:

“I found out at around Christmas when I was in P5 that we would be

moving to Liverpool. I had grown up as an obsessive fan of the Reds, so

I was ecstatic at the thought of living in the same city as my

favourite team, and of course the chance to see them in action more

often.”

Meaghan, who is now a primary school teacher in the northwest English

city, is especially excited at the prospect of playing in a tournament

she vividly remembers from her childhood in the Walled City.

The Foyle Cup is very much a family affair for the McCallion clan.

Meaghan’s grandmother, Carmel, works at the tournament office, with the

young football fan alongside her never too far from the action.

She said: “I used to go along with my granny to help out at the

tournament in any way I could, and I got a chance to watch so many

matches as the event continued to grow. I also remember the first

ladies’ games taking place and being inspired to one day take part

myself, so it’s great to have come full circle.”

The 23-year-old is settled as a goalkeeper for Merseyside-based Upton

Ladies Football Club, after switching between several clubs in her teen

years.

However, Meaghan has been competing in the beautiful game since the age

of four.

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Foyle Cup participation for Derry man Marty Walker a ‘no-brainer’

She explained: “As a child, I used to go to all the Derry City football

camps and got a lot of experience playing for Groarty Sky Blues and

school teams. As a teenager, I actually got put in goal initially

because my time playing Gaelic football made me a lot braver than most

of my teammates!”

Upton Ladies have been grouped with Derry City, Strabane Athletic and

Sea Rovers in the ladies’ draw, and they are aiming to make a real

impact in the tournament given their recent good form.

Meaghan said: “We are undefeated in the league this season, only

drawing two games – and we were weakened for those as a result of

Covid-19. We have also recently been promoted to a higher division, so

we are quietly confident of being competitive against anyone.

"The manager has been looking at social media clips to try and get a

flavour of what’s to come, but we also know every game at the Foyle Cup

is difficult, especially with so many games in such a short period of

time.

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Record number of entries as Foyle Cup parade confirmed

The parade will see competing teams march through the streets of Derry

“I also can’t wait to show the girls around! We already have an

itinerary with the likes of the Giant’s Causeway, Derry Walls and Foyle

Maritime Festival on our list. I’ve really been bigging up how

brilliant it is back home, so everyone is really looking forward to our

time in Ireland.”

Grateful

The talented goalkeeper was also keen to highlight that the trip across

the Irish Sea would not have been possible without the kindness of

sponsors. A GoFundMe page was set up to raise money for travel and

accommodation, and a local bar generously hosted a charity night for

the club.

“The Willows Pub in the Wirral was fantastic,” Meaghan remarked.

“They allowed us to hold a fundraiser complete with karaoke, games and

craic, and after we invited family, friends and locals, we were

delighted to raise almost £1,000. Ray Parker, who owns the pub, has

always been brilliant to us and we always make sure to visit there on

Sundays after our matches.”

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Ruaidhri Higgins believes Derry can make history in Riga

Foyle Cup Secretary Philip Devlin commented: “Meaghan’s Foyle Cup story

is fantastic. Upton Ladies may never have had the opportunity to

compete in this tournament were it not for a Derry girl, which proves

how much it means to the people here. Meaghan may have moved to

Liverpool a long time ago, but she has never forgotten her home.

"On behalf of everyone at the Foyle Cup, we wish Meaghan and her

teammates the very best of luck in this year’s competition.”