YOUDAN, YOU READ, YOU MARVEL, YOU SURE?

I apologise if you have already got your passports and ferry tickets to go to Guernsey for their historic cup tie (see yesterday's blog); it not being played this "round" ie this weekend, they have been drawn in the First Qualifying Round which appears on the 20th August. So calm down.

More importantly over the past few days, in my neck of the woods, we have been lucky to "host" the Youdan Cup, a major competition for youth teams from clubs stretching a far and wide as Seattle Sounders, FC Basel, Rosenburg, Celtic, Everton and several clubs closer to home such as Sheffield United and Wednesday. Group games are taking place as I type and then finals are played at Sheffield's two major university sports' parks, Hallam and Sheffield.

The tournament is the invention of You-Are-The-Ref (.com) headed by Jock Waugh and Keith Hackett who are providing and independent authority and education platform for match officials. This proves to be an excellent opportunity for young officials to cut their teeth in some fairly serious matches, as well as providing marketing and advertising.


The tournament made its debut in 2015 and this year's draw was held at the National Football Museum in Manchester; the teams picked out by John Hartson and Colin Appleton.

This tournament revitalises the very famous Youdan Trophy, the history of which can be learned on this video from the website;
http://youdantrophy.com/history/

Glyn Youdan is a descendent of Tommy Youdan, once a labourer, then an entrepreneur who ran a huge theatre in the city and became a philanthropist, giving his money to many causes, including helping Sheffield recover from a major flood, making a 4 ton cake to parade through the city and of course buying and organising the Youdan trophy originally played for by 12 Sheffield teams and won first in 1867 by Hallam FC. The first competitive trophy. (The FA Cup is only a youthful 1872).

The website "History" section (above) gives you all you need to know about Youdan, the trophy, the importance of Sheffield to the history of football and of course the tournament.

Below is Anna Ford (sorry but I can't resist it) telling the chaps about the value of the Youdan Trophy...£100,000 at least) on the Antiques Road Show. It's not as clear as we would like to think.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/11771968/Battle-over-footballs-oldest-cup-heads-for-the-High-Court.html

Other references to Sheffield have been noted in past blogs.
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/hallam-enjoys-fiona-bruce.html  and
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/fionas-cup-runneth-over.html