Calls for government funding boost after record-breaking Foyle Cup
Foyle Cup hits historic heights with over 1,000 teams and 100,000 visitors
Independent Derry City and Strabane District Council representative Shauna Cusack has called for government departments to provide funding for the Foyle Cup in recognition of its huge economic impact.
During July’s council meeting, Mayor Grace Uí Niallais praised organisers of the 2026 O’Neills Foyle Cup, which took place from Monday, July 20, to Saturday, July 25, for “another successful year”.
“With over 100,000 visitors in the district for that particular festival, it has been a very, very busy week,” she noted.
“It has had a massive positive economic impact on our city and district and a positive impact on relations, with kids making new friends, people coming from all over, and facilities being used all over our district.
“I really did feel the electric buzz that was about this city in the past week.”
DUP alderman Niree McMorris said this year’s Foyle Cup was a “brilliant event”, while independent councillor Raymond Barr said it had created “a buzz around Strabane which was unreal”.
Councillor Cusack said the Foyle Cup gets “bigger and better every year”, but warned that it is not “funded the way it should be funded”.
“There's more people coming from more corners of the the globe and putting our place on the map,” she added. “Congratulations to the organisers, to the facilitators and to the participants, but what we also need to keep in mind is this is an event which is not funded the way it should be funded.
”It is one of the major contributors to our economy, to local businesses, to our hotels. I think that we should really seriously put pressure on government departments to recognise the huge success it is.
“We can put on Halloween, we can put on Christmas, we can put on the Maritime, we can put on lots of things - it's not bringing in the same amount to our local economy and to our local businesses as the Foyle Cup.
“I wish the departments would recognise that, especially in the tourism industry, and fund it accordingly.”
The record-breaking tournament this year welcomed 1,013 teams, more than 20,000 players, coaches and officials, and featured 3,942 matches across more than 60 venues, making it the biggest O'Neills Foyle Cup in the competition's history.