Former West Ham United defender Anton Ferdinand admits returning to the SuperCupNI 28 years after playing in the tournament to watch son Flynn is a “full circle moment”.
Ferdinand made over 200 Premier League appearances for the Hammers, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers during a successful playing career – but believes a trip to Northern Ireland with West Ham’s academy team in 1998 “had the biggest bearing on my life as a footballer”.
The younger brother of ex-Manchester United star Rio, Anton has been back at the SuperCupNI this week with son Flynn, who is following in the footsteps of his father and uncle by coming through West Ham’s youth ranks.
Ferdinand is one of many players who used the SuperCupNI as a platform to forge a professional career and says he will “forever be grateful” for the experience.
Anton Ferdinand's West Ham United playing at the SuperCupNI in 1998. (Photo by SuperCupNI)placeholder image
Anton Ferdinand's West Ham United playing at the SuperCupNI in 1998. (Photo by SuperCupNI)
"It really is a full circle moment for me, as I played in it back in 1998 and now my son is playing in it, which is quite moving for me," he said. "It's the first time I've been back here in a long, long time and it's brought back a lot of memories of being around Coleraine and Portrush.
"It was the first trip away that I had with West Ham, and probably the one that had the biggest bearing on my life as a footballer. It gave me an understanding of what pressure feels like. I'll forever be grateful to the SuperCupNI.
"I said to my son it's the first time you'll feel what it's like to be a footballer. The attention that you get here, doing interviews, being in the local press and being on local TV, is fantastic.
"The numbers speak for themselves in terms of how many players have come through this tournament and gone on to play in the Premier League.
"I'm one of them. I have a lot to give back to this competition because it taught me so much and gave me the foundations of what a footballer should really look like, not only as a professional but also in terms of dealing with the limelight."
Alongside watching his son’s team play, Ferdinand has also been keeping a close eye on local sides – he took in Thursday’s Boys' Minor Cup semi-final between Portadown and Linfield at Anderson Park.
Now a coach at National League club Hornchurch, Ferdinand has been impressed by the standard on show.
"It says a lot about the rise in standards over the last 20 years and I think that's the beauty of it," he added. "The professional academies have helped raise standards and make the local players better.
"From what I remember, that was always the aim, especially as I got older.
"This tournament is here not just to benefit the community, but to benefit the young Northern Irish players who aspire to become footballers.
"It gives them a shop window to put themselves in front of English clubs and clubs from further afield, while also showing them the standards they need to reach if they want to get there.
"There's no better place than being on your own home turf, where you feel most comfortable, to show what you can do."