After a year’s hiatus, the Pope’s Charity Cup returned in 2023 and it is a familiar name that is once again etched on the trophy.
The popular football tournament—held in partnership with Missio Scotland and the Glasgow Catholic Schools FA—takes places on an annual basis during Mission Month (October) with the final taking place either at the end of the month or at the start of November.
This year’s cup final was a derby match as St Bridget’s Primary School in Baillieston took on their town counterparts, St Francis of Assisi Primary School. St Bridget’s emerged 3-1 victors after a pulsating, end-to-end match at Toryglen Regional Sports Centre in Glasgow, on Saturday 11th November.
With St Bridget’s having dispatched St Paul’s Primary School in Shettleston 4-3 in their semi-final, and St Francis of Assisi defeating St Mirin’s Primary School in King’s Park 3-2 (AET), the stage was set for an exciting final between the two Bailieston primaries. A healthy crowd was present, with Archbishop William Nolan of Glasgow, Missio Scotland’s National Director, Fr Vincent Lockhart and Baillieston parish priest, Fr Thomas Devlin flocking to the venue for the final. And it did not disappoint.
It was St Francis who took the lead midway through the first-half, after a corner caused confusion in the St Bridget’s box, resulting in the ball ending up in the net courtesy of an own goal. St Bridget’s didn’t let their heads go down and, on the stroke of half-time, they equalised through Oliver Ferrie after a brilliant run and finish.
In the second-half, it was St Bridget’s who broke the deadlock, once again through Ferrie, who fired his team in front, before completing his hat-trick shortly afterwards to leave the St Francis’ players shell-shocked. When the final whistle blew, it was St Bridget’s who would be getting their hands on the cup once more.
Fathers Lockhart and Devlin handed out the medals and a Mission Rosary to the players on each team before Archbishop Nolan presented the Pope’s Charity Cup to the St Bridget’s captain, sparking scenes of celebration among the players and in the stands.
Praise
Archbishop Nolan, who was there to witness his first ever Pope’s Charity Cup Final, remarked upon the excellent game and praised the joint organisers of the tournament.
“It was an excellent game and I was very impressed,” Archbishop Nolan said after the presentation. “The game was played with great sportsmanship and both sides were determined to get their hands on the cup-even though their energy levels might have been flagging a bit towards the end. And what an achievement it was for Baillieston too, with both of the schools hailing from there.”
He added: “Missio Scotland is such a wonderful organisation. It connects us with the Church throughout the world and does so much good work and this tournament helps bring Missio Scotland into focus and highlight the work it does also, and in turn, helps to highlight the work of the Church too. And the Glasgow Catholic Schools FA is a really historic organisation.”
Winning head coach, John McManus, was also fulsome in his praise of both sets of players and the tournament itself.
“I thought it was an absolute fantastic match played in a great spirit,” John said. “It was a derby game so obviously that’s one everybody wants to win. Fortunately, we did win, but it was a really tight game. St Francis played brilliant football, and I thought both goalkeepers were out of this world and saved their teams a number of times.
John added: “I need to say a word of thanks, too, to Missio Scotland. It’s an incredible tournament and the kids are so excited for it the minute that the league kicks off at the start of August.”
Community
For his part, Fr Lockhart was delighted to see the Pope’s Charity Cup make its return, and explained how the tournament epitomises community, a core value of Missio Scotland and the Pontifical Mission Societies worldwide.
“The game today was absolutely fantastic,” Fr Vincent said.
“Mission Month is about being a community as Church and that isn’t just about saying prayers. It’s also about enjoying ourselves and the boys and girls who take part in the Pope’s Charity Cup, I think they see that it’s not just something in their school or their parish, but it’s also about the rest of life as well, and Missio Scotland is able to join with them and help them to enjoy themselves.”
Main picture: Archbishop William Nolan hands over the cup