Omonia Youth FC Hosts Another Successful Summer Tournament (08-09/06)

June 25, 2024

Omonia Youth FC proudly hosted another successful Summer Tournament, spanning four sessions across Saturday, June 8th, and Sunday, June 9th, 2024. The event saw the participation of over 80 teams, ranging from Under 8s to Under 16s, showcasing the best of youth football in North London.

Gallery – Click to enlarge image (opens in new page in same window)

The tournament was structured into four dynamic sessions: Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning and afternoon. Each session concluded with an exciting trophy presentation, celebrating the hard work and talent of the young footballers.

The atmosphere was competitive yet infused with a festive summer spirit. Families and friends enjoyed a beautiful, community-driven environment, with slush puppies, candy floss, popcorn, and ice cream adding to the enjoyable experience. Adding to the community spirit, the Christoforos Charity Foundation (CCF) provided a delightful food stall, serving an array of refreshments to players and spectators alike. CCF is a family-driven charity dedicated to supporting families in need, promoting fun group activities for kids to keep them off their mobile devices for sustained periods, and keeping them away from the dangers of social media.

Omonia Youth FC teams performed exceptionally well in their club’s tournament, achieving remarkable results:

• U14 Girls Green: Cup Runners-Up
• U13 Girls White: Cup Winners
• U10 White: Cup Runners-Up
• U11 Girls White: Cup Winners
• U12 Silver: Plate Winners
• U13 Green: Cup Winners

Gallery – Click to enlarge image (opens in new page in same window)

This tournament would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our wonderful volunteers and sponsors. Their dedication and contributions ensured the smooth running of the event, creating a memorable experience for all involved. 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the participating teams, our volunteers for their tireless efforts, and our sponsors for their invaluable support.

Special thanks to our:

Main sponsor – Spector Constant & Williams;

Tournify app sponsor – The Marble Group;

Trophy presentation sponsor – Robert Dyas.

Our pitch sponsors included:

Begbies Traynor Group

Aura Fashions LTD

Robert Irving Burns

CJAZ Consulting.

Additional thanks to our other sponsors:

Diamond Corporation

AGK Partners

Fight Shop Direct

KP Plumbing & Heating

Cyplon Holidays & Travelosophers

Polyteck Group.

Gallery – Click to enlarge image (opens in new page in same window)

The Omonia Youth FC Summer Tournament continues to be a highlight of our calendar, fostering community spirit and a love for football among our youth.

Should you feel enthused and want to know more about Omonia Youth FC, you can contact the club via the form on our Contact Us page, email the club at queries@omoniayouthfc.com, as well as following the club on X/Twitter OmoniaYouthFC, Facebook OmoniaYouthFC and Instagram @omoniayouthfc1994.

Written by Ali Emir on Mon 24 Jun

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Another successful ‘Festival of Football’ at the Omonia Youth FC 2022 Summer Tournament

Community football club Omonia Youth FC, sponsored by Spector, Constant & Williams, Vas Barbers and V Jewellers, last weekend hosted another successful Summer 6-a-side Tournament. The tournament this year was sponsored by AGK Partners.

Over the weekend, the Radiomarathon Centre in Enfield was transformed into an arena where young footballers from near and far competed for Cup and Plate competitions in the club’s ever popular, annual 6-a-side summer youth football tournament.

With the Women’s 2022 European Championships being held in England this summer, the tournament organisers again held a girls-only sessions which was brilliantly attended. There were Under 11 Girls Under 12 Girls and Under 14 Girls competitions on Saturday afternoon.

Football at the professional level perennially faces criticism due to the growing frustration of high ticket prices, preposterous transfer fees and salaries. However, at grassroots level at least, this little corner of the footballing world again showed what can be done with a few pitches, goals, footballs and willing volunteers to offer children the chance to play the game they love in a tournament setting. As the 2021 National Grassroots Club of the Year, Omonia Youth FC take their role in the community very seriously and ensure that youth football in the community continues to thrive and offers opportunities to youth. Last weekend again proved that football can indeed, still be considered the beautiful game.

Split over two days to accommodate the popularity of the event, clubs from five counties arrived at the Radiomarathon Centre in Enfield, North London for what was described as a well-run, well-organised and brilliant tournament.

There were 11 categories in all from Under 7 all the way through to Under 14 including three all-girl categories to cater for the explosion in girls’ football over the last few years. In total over 100 teams took part encompassing over 1000 young footballers in what was a genuine festival of football.

The number of spectators over the two days exceeded 3000 people, which included scouts from professional clubs who were very complimentary of the whole set-up as well as the quality of the football they witnessed. What spectators, coaches, referees and players experienced over the two days was a tournament that was meticulously organised and credit goes to the Omonia Youth FC Management Committee and the volunteer helpers who spent months ensuring that logistically the two days ran seamlessly.

The weather certainly helped as did the opportunity to savour the various food on offer as Omonia Youth FC managers, coaches, parents and friends made sure visitors were well fed with traditional Cyprus souvlakia as well as a variety of burgers all washed down with a wide range of drinks. Thanks to the tournament sponsors ‘AGK Partners’ for their donation and help.

As an England Football Accredited Club, Omonia Youth FC takes pride in a status granted clubs who are rigorously judged to be well-run and sustainable, and who prioritise the wellbeing and safeguarding of their young patrons, quality coaching and the implementation of the FA’s ‘For All’ initiative. This was clearly in evidence during the tournament with the club organising the pitches to ensure that only coaches, managers and players could enter the ‘designated coaches zone’ with a cordoned off area behind a respect barrier on the outside for parents and spectators to enjoy the action. Every team was given a ‘Coaches ID Badge’ to identify the only adults permitted in the coaching area. This was appreciated by visiting coaches and was regularly commented on as an example of good practice that ensured the coaches were given the time and space to coach and be with their teams without the distraction of supporters. This provided the opportunity for players and teams to show their best and the 1000+ young footballers who descended on the Radiomarathon Centre certainly enjoyed the excellent playing surface and revelled in a positive, competitive atmosphere.

A big thank you to the referees over the weekend: Kam Mehmet, Luke Morgan, Harry Demosthenous, Alex Pieri, Charlie Mousicos and Nicolas Shiamishis. Of these, four are former players of the club and who have continued their football journey in a different way.

Club Chairman Myri Demetriou had this to say:

“This weekend, we at Omonia Youth FC, held our annual Summer 6-a-side tournament, which was a fantastic success, with over 100 teams, nearly 1000 young players from U7 to U14, including three girls only tournaments. As a community club, we pride ourselves in offering the best we can for all that enter our tournament. A fun-filled day of football, with a variety of food on offer from mediterranean kebabs to the traditional burgers, as well as the ever-important slushies.

The atmosphere was fantastic on both days with plenty of smiles and matches played in a good spirit. This year for the first time, we had an inflatable football shoot-out game courtesy of bubblesbounceandplay.co.uk, which many children from all teams loved taking part in.

We would like to thank all the teams that took part and apologise to the teams we had to turn away due to the high demand. We look forward to seeing you all next summer.

Thank you to all for the very positive comments throughout both days and a special mention to the Radiomarathon Centre for the use of their facility, Polyteck Group for donating skips, porta-loos and generator, AGK Partners for their financial contribution as well as providing the pitta bread and Halloumi. Trent Primary school and Chris Koumourou for lending us their BBQs, Eleftheriou & Co accountants for donating the charcoal, Vas barbers and Premium Convenience Store in Firs Lane for donating ice, Angus Butchers and Hydra Capital. Finally, a big thanks to our sponsors of the last two years, SCW Legal, Vas Barbers and V Jewellers. However, the most important people were the ones who gave their time to help pull this tournament together and volunteer their help over the two days and beyond. It is always much appreciated.”

Omonia Youth FC was founded in 1994, and with 30 teams in all age groups plus a Men’s Team set to compete next season, the club continues to grow. The heritage bestowed on the current committee is an important one, and last weekend showed again that Omonia Youth FC continues to flourish and lead the way as a community football club. The club has a fine traditional and positive reputation in providing a positive environment for young footballers to develop their football education within a setting where they also mature as individuals and in friendship groups. Last weekend was a football fiesta, which promoted community spirit and positive feeling. What a way to prepare for the summer and laying the foundations for another successful season next year. Well done all and all involved deserve a long, relaxing summer break!

Should you feel enthused and want to know more about Omonia Youth FC, you can contact the club at omoniayouthfootballclub@hotmail.com, via the contact page on the club’s website www.omoniayouthfc.com as well as following the club on twitter @OmoniaYouthFC and Instagram @omoniayouthfc1994. Photo credit: Some of the photos you see in this article were taken by Evagoras Mandrides (https://www.evagoras.co.uk/)

Successful Festival of Football at the Omonia Youth FC 2021 Summer Tournament

Community football club Omonia Youth FC, sponsored by Spector, Constant & Williams, Vas Barbers and V Jewellers, las weekend hosted another successful Summer 6-a-side Tournament. The tournament this year was sponsored by ‘Greek Deli 2 U’ (www.gd2u.co.uk)

Over the weekend, the Radiomarathon Centre in Enfield was transformed into an arena where young footballers from near and far competed for Cup and Plate competitions in the club’s 6-a-side summer youth football tournament.

After the disrupted season all grassroots youth football clubs have had to endure, last Saturday and Sunday was truly a celebration of football. Coming off the back of the wonderful Euro 2020 championships, it was fantastic to see so many smiling and happy faces playing football in beautiful weather.

Even though there is the growing frustration of high ticket prices, ludicrous transfer fees and salaries in the professional game, at grassroots level at least, this little corner of the footballing world again showed what can be done with a few pitches, goals, footballs and volunteers to offer children the chance to play the game they love in a tournament setting. Indeed grassroots youth football is thriving and last weekend again proved that football can indeed, still be the beautiful game.

Split over two days to accommodate the popularity of the event, clubs from four counties arrived at the Radiomarathon Centre in Enfield, North London for what was unanimously described as a well-run, well-organised and fantastic tournament.

There were 11 categories in all from Under 7 all the way through to Under 14 including three all-girl categories to cater for the explosion in girls’ football over the last few years. In total over 115 teams took part encompassing over 1000 young footballers in what was a genuine festival of football.

The number of spectators over the two days exceeded 3000 people, which included scouts from professional clubs Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal who were very complimentary of the whole set-up as well as the quality of the football they witnessed. What spectators, coaches, referees and players experienced over the two days was a tournament that was superbly organised and credit goes to the Omonia Youth FC Management Committee and the volunteer helpers who spent months ensuring that logistically the two days ran seamlessly.

The weather certainly helped as did the opportunity to savour the various food on offer as Omonia Youth FC managers, coaches, parents and friends made sure visitors were well fed with traditional Cyprus souvlakia as well as a variety of burgers all washed down with a wide range of drinks. Thanks to the tournament sponsors ‘Greek Deli 2 U’ for their donation and hard work over the weekend.

As an England Football Accredited Club, Omonia Youth FC takes pride in a status granted clubs who are rigorously judged to be well-run and sustainable, and who prioritise the wellbeing and safeguarding of their young patrons, quality coaching and the implementation of the FA’s ‘For All’ initiative. This was clearly in evidence during the tournament with the club organising the pitches to ensure that only coaches, managers and players could enter the ‘designated coaches zone’ with a cordoned off area behind a respect barrier on the outside for parents and spectators to enjoy the action. Every team was given a ‘Coaches ID Badge’ to identify the only adults permitted in the coaching area. This was appreciated by visiting coaches and was regularly commented on as an example of good practice that ensured the coaches were given the time and space to coach and be with their teams without the distraction of supporters. This provided the opportunity for players and teams to show their best and the 1000+ young footballers who descended on the Radiomarathon Centre certainly enjoyed the excellent playing surface and revelled in a positive, competitive atmosphere.

Club Chairman Michael Pieri had this to say:

“After the year we have had, ending the season with a successful tournament like this makes all the hard work worth it. Very few know what it takes to put on a successful tournament; it takes months of planning, preparation and hard work. For all the apprehension in the lead up to the event, it is worth it when you see so many happy young footballers, happy coaches, parents, carers and supporters.

I am very proud of what the club have put on over the weekend, and it is always nice to hear positive things about the club and this year’s event was no exception as visitors praised the event – from an organisation point of view, from the delicious food that was available to the quality of the playing surface. The good weather helped, even if Sunday was probably too hot for some.

It is events like this that give our club the opportunity to display what we are about and celebrate our values and philosophy by serving not only the needs of our own young footballers but the young footballers and teams of our community and grassroots football too. A titanic effort is required to plan and execute the event and again I am proud to say that the club pulled together to ensure that the young footballers of our club and their parents / carers and supporters went home delighted that their club’s tournament was again a huge success. A few special mentions: thank you to the committee whose unstinting support made the event possible. Thank you to Club Treasurer Demi Shiamishis who along with Marina Shiamishis coordinated the catering team which included parents and supporters of the club too. Their operation was a model of efficiency. Thank you to Alex Christofi and Chris Koumourou from our event sponsor ‘Greek Deli 2 U’.

There are so many others to thank that I don’t want to risk forgetting anyone. They know who they are and it is their unselfishness in giving up their time that epitomises the strength of the club. There were those who set up on Friday evening, those who came in at 7am on Saturday and Sunday and didn’t leave until after 5pm. The most thankless task is the clean-up at the end of the day on Sunday and there were a few us still packing up and cleaning at 7pm!

A big thank you also to our referee team whose conduct was exemplary. They acquitted themselves magnificently over the two days; thank you Alex, Jaleel, Nicolas, Fintan, Girish and Harry. Very professional performances from all.

Finally a very heartfelt and special thank you to the mums, dads, current and former players and friends of the club who stepped up and helped over the two days without whom the food stall would not have been able to run! It is this collective effort as a club that when we pull together, everything and anything is possible. Community spirit is at the heart of the club’s ethos and philosophy and it is events like this which typify and represent what the club is about. Those of us in the current committee are very conscious of continuing and building on what has gone before by leaving a lasting and sustainable legacy. We should all be proud of what we are part of and the bigger picture is sometimes not easy for all to see but there are enough us who have that vision and when the baton of responsibility is handed over, the club is in a good place for a seamless transition.”

Omonia Youth FC was founded in 1994, and with 32 teams in all age groups set to compete next season, the club has never been in a stronger position. The heritage bestowed on the current committee is an important one, and last weekend showed again that Omonia Youth FC continues to flourish and lead the way as a community football club with a fine traditional for providing a positive environment for young footballers to develop their football education within a setting where they can also mature as individuals and as friendship groups. Last weekend was a football fiesta, which promoted community spirit and positive feelings. What a way to prepare for the summer and laying the foundations for another successful season next year. Well done all. Have a wonderful summer break!

Should you feel enthused and want to know more about Omonia Youth FC, you can contact the club at omoniayouthfootballclub@hotmail.com, via the contact page on the club’s website www.omoniayouthfc.com as well as following the club on twitter @OmoniaYouthFC and Instagram @omoniayouthfc1994.

Celebration of football at 2019 Omonia Youth FC tournament

Community football club Omonia Youth FC, sponsored by PIA Financial Group and Philip Ross Solicitors, had plenty of reasons to be proud after hosting another successful Summer 6-a-side Tournament last weekend.

Over the weekend, the Radiomarathon Centre in Enfield was transformed into an arena where young footballers from near and far competed for Cup and Plate competitions in 6-a-side summer youth football tournament.

This year’s edition was a particularly special one as it comes in the year of the club’s 25 Year Anniversary. As the club has grown and evolved, this year’s event, as last year, had two all-girls tournaments taking place; fitting in the year of the Women’s World Cup and with such passionate fervour for the women’s game thanks to the England Lionesses progress in the tournament.

While there is cynicism about the professional game, borne out of frustration of high ticket prices, ludicrous transfer fees and salaries, at grassroots level at least, this little corner of the footballing world is thriving and last weekend again proved that the football can indeed be the beautiful game.

Split over two days to accommodate the popularity of the event, clubs from four counties arrived at the Radiomarathon Centre in Enfield, North London for what was unanimously described as a well-run, well organised and fantastic tournament.

There were 10 sections in all from Under 7 all the way through to Under 14 including two all-girl sections. In total an incredible 116 teams took part encompassing over 1000 young footballers in what was a genuine celebration of football.

The number of spectators over the two days exceeded 3000 people which included scouts from professional clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace who were very complimentary of the whole set-up as well as the quality of the football they witnessed. What spectators, coaches, referees and players experienced over the two days was a tournament that was superbly organised and credit goes to the Omonia Youth FC Management Committee and the volunteer helpers who spent months ensuring that logistically the two days ran seamlessly and on time.

The weather certainly helped as did the opportunity to savour the various food on offer as Omonia Youth FC managers, coaches and parents ensured visitors were well fed with traditional Cyprus souvlakia and burgers and refreshed with other various snacks and drinks.

Ten mini tournaments were competed for from Under 7 all the way through to Under 14 with two girl-only tournament too. It was a genuine celebration of football with over 1000 young footballers enjoying the excellent playing surface and revelling in the positive, competitive spirit.

As an FA Chartered Standard club, Omonia Youth FC takes pride in a status granted clubs who are rigorously judged to be well-run and sustainable, and who prioritise safeguarding of their young patrons, quality coaching and the implementation of the FA’s ‘For All’ initiative. This was clearly in evidence during the tournament with the club organising the pitches to ensure that only coaches, managers and players could enter the ‘designated coaches zone’ with a cordoned off area behind a respect barrier on the outside for parents and spectators to enjoy the action. Every team was given a ‘Coaches ID Badge’ to identify the only adults permitted in the coaching area. This was appreciated by visiting coaches as they sought to have the correct atmosphere to coach and enjoy the tournament. This was regularly commented on as an example of good practice and ensured that the coaches were given the time and space to coach and players were given the opportunity to show their best.

Club Chairman Michael Pieri had this to say:

“In the year that the club celebrates our 25 year anniversary, I am very proud of what the club have put on over the weekend. Events like this do not happen overnight; it takes months of preparation, hard work and toil and for all the anxiety in the lead up to the event it is worth it when you see so many happy young footballers who have been given the opportunity to show their best in a tournament scenario.

It is always nice to hear positive things about the club and this year’s event was no exception as visitors praised the event from an organisation point of view, from the food that was available and the quality of the playing surface. The good weather helped, even if Saturday was probably too hot for some.

It is events like this give our club the opportunity to showcase what we are about and celebrate our values and philosophy by serving not only the needs of our own young footballers but the young footballers of our community and grassroots football too. A colossal effort is required to plan and execute the event and again I am proud to say that the club pulled together to ensure that the young footballers of our club and their parents went home delighted that their club’s tournament was again a huge success. A few special mentions: thank you to the committee whose unstinting support made the event possible. Thank you Demi Shiamishi who along with brother Fano and Alex Christofi coordinated the catering team which included parents and supporters of the club too. Their operation was a model of efficiency at work.

There are so many others to thank that I don’t want to risk forgetting anyone. They know who they are and it is their unselfishness in giving up their time that epitomises the strength of the club. There were those who set up on Friday evening, those who came in at 7am on Saturday and Sunday to set up the cones to allow traffic flow and those did the car park duty. The most thankless task is the clean-up at the end of the day on Sunday and there were a few us still packing up and cleaning at 8pm!

A big thank you to our five young referees whose conduct was exemplary as they acquitted themselves superbly over the two days, so thank you Alex, Jaleel, Luke, Nathan and Harry.

Finally a very heartfelt and special thank you to the mums who stepped up and helped over the two days without whom the tuck shop and the food stalls would not have been stocked, organised or run as efficiently as they were without their presence.

It is this collective effort as a club that when we pull together, everything and anything is possible. Community spirit is at the heart of the club’s ethos and philosophy and it is events like this which typify and represent what the club is about. Those of us in the current committee are very conscious of continuing and building on what has gone before by leaving a lasting, positive legacy. We should all be proud of what we are part of and the bigger picture is sometimes not easy for all to see but there are enough us who have that vision and hopefully when we do pass on the baton of responsibility, as a club we continue to grow and achieve.”

Omonia Youth FC was founded in 1994, and with over 30 teams in all age groups set to compete next season, the club has never been in a stronger position. The heritage bestowed on the current committee is an important one and last weekend showed yet again that Omonia Youth FC continues to flourish as a community football club with a fine traditional for providing a positive environment for all young footballers to develop their football education within a setting where they can also mature as individuals and as groups. Last weekend was truly a festival of football, community spirit and positive feeling. What a way to prepare for the summer and laying the foundations for another successful season next year.

Should you feel enthused and want to know more about Omonia Youth FC, you can contact the club at omoniayouthfootballclub@hotmail.com, via the contact page on the club’s website www.omoniayouthfc.com as well as following the club on twitter @OmoniaYouthFC and Instagram @omoniayouthfc1994.