The spring part of the McDonald’s Cup is here!

After registrations close on March 27, the spring portion of the McDonald’s Cup will kick off. The biggest news for the 23rd edition is that it’s not just the older kids in fourth and fifth grade who will play in the finals; this year, first-, second- and third-graders will also compete for the cup. But the rewards for winning don’t end with the cup itself. In addition to training with the youth national team coaches and dinner at McDonald’s, the children will attend the UEFA Nations League match on 24 September 2022, where the Czech Republic and Portugal will face each other.

The McDonald’s Cup returns to pitches and stadiums after three years when, like many other events, it was suspended due to the pandemic. Last year, however, a replacement event called ‘Whistle off the Boredom’ was held, using online videos to motivate both young and older children to take part in sport.

The programme was also accompanied by a number of experts who commented on the limited amount of exercise for children and the severe effects of the pandemic on children’s psyche. For example, mental coach Marián Jelínek, former football player and coach Pavel Horváth or child psychologist Václav Mertin spoke to parents and children.

Sports holiday for the first grade of primary school

“In the previous two years we had to make a very difficult decision and due to the epidemic situation we had to cancel one edition of the McDonald’s Cup completely and move the other one online. This year, hopefully the children will not be deprived of playing sports together. Personally, I am looking forward to the McDonald’s Cup,” says Jitka Pajurková, Chair of the Organizing Committee and Director of Communications and PR at McDonald’s.

The biggest football tournament in the Czech Republic is designed for children from the first grades of primary schools. It is divided into two categories. A teams are made up of children from first to third grades, B teams are made up of fourth and fifth graders. So far, a total of 2,530 teams, or more than 30,000 children, have entered this year’s McDonald’s Cup. At least 1,129 teams will compete for the Cup in the A category, while at least 1,401 teams will enjoy their time with one of the most popular sports in the B category.

The winners went to AC Milan in Italy

This year’s edition of the school football tournament will not be missed by the Sluneční Primary School in Šumperk, which sovereignly dominated the last edition in 2019.

“As our team progressed higher and higher, I gradually began to believe that the children could advance to the national finals. However, I don’t think any of us expected them to win the full finals. Thechildren trained hard and played great, so they really deserved the cup,” says Hynek Pálka, the headmaster of Sluneční Primary School, whose school made it to the finals for the first time.

“It goes without saying that after the last success we will not miss this year’s edition and the children are already training hard for the matches. And I firmly believe that we will do well this year as well.”

Daniel Smékal, who managed to score 22 goals and even scored a hat-trick in the final, contributed the lion’s share to the winning of the cup for the Sluneční Šumperk Primary School.

“The McDonald’s Cup was a lot of fun for me and the boys and the most fun was winning it,” smiles Daniel Smékal. “Besides the cup, the reward we got was also great. As a whole team we went to Italy to see AC Milan, probably our favourite club, play.”

This year’s rewards:: training with pro coaches or a UEFA match

The same tempting rewards are in store for this year’s winners. And since the national finals will now be held for both B and A categories, great prizes will be awarded to the top two teams. The children will visit the headquarters of the Football Association of the Czech Republic, see the Czech Football Hall of Fame and enjoy a demonstration training session under the guidance of youth national team coaches. Most importantly, they have already secured tickets for the UEFA Nations League match between the Czech Republic and Portugal, scheduled for 24 September.

Before that, however, they need to successfully complete the individual matches. The district rounds in both the regular and final rounds will be played during April and early May, while the regional finals will take place from 9 to 18 May. The national finals in the form of the Football Festival will take place in Teplice from 31 May and will end on International Children’s Day on 1 June.

Ambassadors Adam Hložek and Kateřina Svítková

In addition to the many goals, great saves and unforgettable experiences that children regularly take away from the McDonald’s Cup, the tournament is also known for its star ambassadors.

Adam Hložek, a Czech national team player and AC Sparta Prague striker, who has been through several editions of the tournament himself, has taken over the patronage of the twenty-third edition of the tournament, while the second ambassador is Kateřina Svítková. The native of Plzeň started her career in the local youth FC Viktoria, she celebrated many successes with SK Slavia Praha. In 2020, she moved to West Ham United FC in London and became the first Czech professional player in England.

Hundreds of thousands of children have participated in the McDonald’s Cup over its history, and current stars of Czech football have also been present. “As in any sport, in football the earlier a child starts, the better. At the same time, however, it is a very individual matter for each young athlete. Some children start as early as four years old, others only at school age. In any case, recruitment to clubs is organised from the age of five or six,” says coach Tomáš Neumann, who is also a member of the executive committee of the Football Association of the Czech Republic.

“But it’s never too late for children to start playing sport. And the McDonald’s Cup has been proof for many years that football is a great all-round sport for literally every child.”

Promoting sport is more important than ever after the pandemic

Svatava Ságnerová, President of the Association of School Sports Clubs of the Czech Republic, also welcomes the renewal of the McDonald’s Cup. “Even before the pandemic, obesity was already a big problem among children, exacerbated by bad habits such as sitting in front of mobile phones or computers. The lack of exercise is even more pronounced in schoolchildren after two years of various restrictions. That’s why I’m extremely pleased that theMcDonald’s Cup is returning this year. It is the sport that is the best prevention of disease and where children learn not only to respect the rules, but also to win and lose. Theshared experiences that schoolchildren gain through this tournament could fill a book,” says Svatava Sagnerová.

The McDonald’s Cup is the biggest national tournament for primary school children. Throughout its history, the tournament has moved 1.5 million children, 120,000 school teams have participated and 10,000 cups and 225,000 medals have been given away. Like every year, this year’s 23rd edition is organised by McDonald’s, the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the Association of School Sports Clubs of the Czech Republic and IMA Production.