PROGRAMME | 2023 Victory Shield Special - Denbigh Town

CENTRAL PARK PRESENTS

VICTORY SHIELD 2023 NOVEMBER 6TH / 8TH 2023

CROESO I BARC CANOLOG CHAIRMAN SHON POWELL

PRESIDENT CLWYD WILLIAMS

TREASURER IWAN JONES

VICE CHAIRMAN RICHARD BLAKE

SECRETARY / MD SECRETARY NEALL CONDON GARETH LUKE JONES

MEDIA OFFICER OLLIE WILLIAMS

PHOTOGRAPHY ROY GUNTHER STEVE WHITFIELD FAW WITH THANKS TO NOEL MOONEY JAIME MOLLOY DEWI EVANS

WWW.DENBIGHTOWNFC.CO.UK FACEBOOK.COM/DENBIGHTOWNFOOTBALLCLUB TWITTER: @DENBIGHTOWNFC INSTAGRAM: @DENBIGHTOWNFOOTBALLCLUB TIKTOK: @DENBIGHTOWNFC #DTFC

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BY DENBIGH TOWN FC CIC AND IS NOT A PRODUCT OF THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF WALES

WELCOME TO CENTRAL PARK Welcome to Central Park for what is certain to be a superb double-header of international football in Denbigh.

We would like to welcome Cymru, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland’s players, staff, officials and supporters to Denbigh.

Central Park has become a mainstay for international matches over the last couple of years and the club are delighted to welcome not only Barc Canolog regulars but those perhaps taking in a match for the very first time.

It’s a pleasure to welcome Cymru once again but we’d of course like to offer a very warm welcome to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to LL16. In the last couple of years we’ve had the pleasure of hosting a number of national teams from all across the world including Brazil, Spain, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Finland, Estonia and of course, Cymru.

The Victory Shield is a hugely historic competition that dates back to 1924 and has seen the home nations battle it out at junior level. These games are always a pleasure to watch and it’s more likely than not that we could be seeing some stars of the future.

The likes of Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Rooney, Mason Mount and Callum McGregor have all played in the competition in previous years whilst current Wales stars Ethan Ampadu, Liam Cullen, Tyler Roberts, Ben Woodburn and Matt Smith all lifted the trophy in 2014. Denbigh Town FC also have some connections to the Victory Shield, with ex-player Rhys Llwyd representing Wales in 2005.

International football is filled with stars who at one point or another began their journey at grassroots level, with that being said the support of the community is vital in ensuring that the game continues to thrive at club level in Wales.

We hope to see as many of you attending this evening back at Central Park when Denbigh Town are in action be it in the JD Cymru North or the North Wales Women’s Football East. The domestic game continues to grow and clubs like ourselves are doing all we can to build an asset for the community.

Every day the fantastic volunteers at the club are working on new developments at the ground and if you spot them around feel free to stop and ask about the exciting projects taking place, which will culminate in 2026 when the Under-19 European Championships come to Central Park.

By that point, I’m sure we’ll see some familiar faces from today involved who will be looking to reach that age group in 2026.

Enjoy the game!

Shon Powell CHAIRMAN, DENBIGH TOWN FC

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BRIEF HISTORY: THE VICTORY SHIELD

The Victory Shield was founded initially in 1923 following the First World War and is competed between four home nations of the UK and Ireland. Initially contested by Wales, Scotland and England, the latter pulled out of the competition in 2015. Northern Ireland joined in 1934 before the Republic of Ireland replaced England eight years ago.

One of the most prominent and historic junior competitions in international football, the record holders of the competition are England (38 titles), whilst they’re followed by Scotland (17), Wales (3), Republic of Ireland (2) and Northern Ireland (2).

The competition’s honours have been shared a total of 14 times, with Wales sharing the title with the likes of England and Scotland over the years.

Cymru’s last outright win of the Victory Shield came in 2015 winning the title for the second straight year, having not won it outright since 1949. Current Cymru stars Ethan Ampadu, Neco Williams, Liam Cullen, Matt Smith, Ben Woodburn and Tyler Roberts have all lifted the championship.

A breeding ground for top talents, some notable names to feature include Aaron Ramsey, Wayne Rooney and Mason Mount.

A number of clubs are also represented in the competition with youth stars called-up from the domestic leagues in the UK as well as further afield including the likes of the USA, Canada and Spain.

IMAGE: FAW

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FOLLOWING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS Looking to replicate the path of these previous Victory Shield competitors.

Aaron Ramsey - Wales (2005)

David Healy - Northern Ireland (1995)

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Callum McGregor - Scotland (2008)

Adam Idah - Republic of Ireland (2016)

DENBIGH SELECTED TO HOST EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Denbigh Town are delighted to be selected as a host stadium for the U19 UEFA European Championships taking place in 2026.

Wales will host the competition as part of the FAW’s 150th anniversary celebrations with five venues chosen in North Wales to host the competition.

Central Park has continued it’s growth as one of the premier footballing venues in Wales and will now continue it’s association with hosting international football with it’s biggest tournament to date.

The UEFA U19 Championship takes place between June and July each year with eight teams competing, seven teams that have progressed through two qualifying rounds, as well as the host nation.

Therefore, Cymru can look forward to playing against the very best young talent from across the continent as the tournament is known for featuring the stars of the future, with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappè and Erling Haarland all being previous participants.

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Denbigh has hosted a number of international matches in the last two years including the Welsh national team’s Women’s Under-19s in matches with Kazakhstan and Estonia, whilst in 2022 we played host to an under-16s tournament involving the national teams of both Brazil and Spain.

Chairman Shon Powell said: “We’re delighted that the FAW have selected Central Park as one of five host venues for this tournament “It’s the biggest international competition we’ve hosted yet and we’re grateful to the FAW for placing their trust in ourselves to welcome some of Europe’s very best young talent.

“As a club we’ve made strong and steady progress and our ambition is to reach even higher levels on and off the pitch, and the rewards of that hard work are evident with our inclusion”.

Denbigh Town looks forward to welcoming our friends from the continent to Central Park in 2026.

THE SQUAD WALES Aidan STOKES (New York City Red Bulls) Eliot MEREDITH (Coventry City) Eddie ELLIS-ROBINSON (Fulham) Prince CISSE (Liverpool) Ollie REYNOLDS (Cardiff City) Charlie STREET (Queen’s Park Rangers) T-Jay PARFITT (Cardiff City) Tom DEARDEN (Sheffield United) Jayden LIENOU (Everton) Marlie NEIL (Everton) Alex MARCINIAK (Arsenal) Harri PUGH (Swansea City) Bobo EVANS (Swansea City) Callum JONES (Swansea City) Ollie DEWSBURY (Bristol Rovers) Ollie SALTER (Tottenham Hotspur) Patrick MLYNARSKI (Everton) Oli NEWMAN (Norwich City) Hayden ALLMARK (Liverpool) Louie BRADBURY (Manchester United) Will GRAINGER (Sheffield Wednesday) Luis GARDNER (Everton) Casey SILLITOE (Stoke City)

HEAD COACH JAMES ROWBURRY

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THE SQUAD NORTHERN IRELAND Zak ROBINSON (Linfield) Milo BEIMERS (Glentoran) Alex WATSON (Linfield) Darragh McCANN (Glentoran) Noah McDONNELL (Larne) Jayden CHARNLEY (Glentoran) Harry MORAN (Liverpool) Callum LEACOCK (Linfield) Calum ANDERSON (Linfield) Aron KC (Derry City) Troy SAVAGE (Glenavon) Jack FALOONA (Glentoran) Glenn McCOURT (Derry City) Matthew BURNS (Coleraine) Christian COYLE (Bohemians) Chris ATHERTON (Glenavon) Kalum THOMPSON (Linfield) Ceadach O’NEILL (Linfield) George FEENEY (Glentoran) Scott HAMILTON (Linfield) Harry ALLEN (Linfield) Sidney ELDRED (Ipswich Town)

HEAD COACH MICHAEL MCCLEAN

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THE SQUAD REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Alex NOONAN (Shamrock Rovers) Ali TOPCU (Shelbourne) Oisin McDONAGH (Shamrock Rovers) Cead McGRATH (Sligo Rovers), Muhammad OLADITI (Shamrock Rovers) Finn SHERLOCK (Shelbourne) Sam STEWARD (St. Patrick’s Athletic) Daniel COSTELLO (St. Patrick’s Athletic) Rory FINNERAN (Blackburn Rovers) Ramon MARTOS (UD Almeria) Grady McDONNELL (Vancouver Whitecaps) Kian McMAHON BROWN (Burnley) Goodness OGBONNA (Shamrock Rovers) Oskar SKOUBO KEELY (Bohemians) Billy HAYES (St. Patrick’s Athletic) Max KOVALEVSKIS (Shamrock Rovers) Brody LEE (Shamrock Rovers) Jay McEVOY (Manchester United) Michael NOONAN (St. Patrick’s Athletic) Billy O’NEILL (Bray Wanderers) Cillian TOLLETT (Galway United) Jaden UMEH (Cork City)

HEAD COACH PAUL OSAM

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FOOTBALL AT CENTRAL PARK DENBIGH TOWN - FIRST TEAM 02/12/23 - PRESTATYN TOWN (14:30) 26/12/23 - RUTHIN TOWN (TBC) 06/01/24 - GRESFORD ATHLETIC (14:30) 12/01/24 - LLANDUDNO (19:30) 03/02/24 - PORTHMADOG (14:30) 24/02/24 - GUILSFIELD (14:30) 08/03/24 - CHIRK AAA (19:30) 29/03/24 - BANGOR 1876 (19:30) 13/05/24 - FLINT TOWN UTD (14:30) DENBIGH TOWN - LADIES 19/11/23 - BELLEVUE (14:00) 03/11/23 - PWLLHELI (14:00) REMAINDER OF FIXTURES TBC DENBIGH TOWN - RESERVES 11/11/23 - BUCKLEY TOWN (14:00) 16/12/23 - THE NEW SAINTS (14;00) REMAINDER OF FIXTURES TBC

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GET INVOLVED!

Have some time to spare? A skill to offer? Maybe you just want to try something new! Denbigh Town FC is a busy, community-driven club with a group of hard-working and welcoming volunteers. If you’d like to get involved get in touch. End 2023 by just going for it!

Contact: info@denbightownfc.co.uk

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