Football stars of the future compete in Northern Ireland

Thousands of people gathered in Coleraine, in Northern Ireland, to cheer on some of the best young footballers from around the world at the opening parade for SuperCupNI.

The tournament which has been running for more than 40 years, brings together boys' and girls' teams for a week of youth football.

This year, more than 1,200 young players are taking part. They will play more than 150 matches over six days at different venues in Northern Ireland.

Teams have travelled from across the UK, Ireland, and around the world.

And some of the clubs involved are world famous, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Rangers and Celtic.

One team making a long journey is Desert Empire Surf from the United States. They are playing in the girls' premier section. Their matches include games against Liverpool, Norwegian side IL Heming and Manchester United.

For two of the team's young players, Katina and Keira, they says despite the tough group, they 'cannot wait to play in the tournament against some of the top players'.

For many of the players, the tournament is a chance to face teams they would not normally meet. Football can be played in different ways in different countries, so the players can learn new skills and test themselves against different styles of play.

Over the years, SuperCupNI has helped showcase many young footballers who later became well-known pros. Players such as Marcus Rashford, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane all took part in the tournament when they were younger.

The competition's full sponsored name is the Budget Energy SuperCupNI, but it has had different names in the past, including the Milk Cup when it was sponsored by Northern Ireland's dairy industry.

SuperCupNI typically follows the end of another high-profile youth football competition in Northern Ireland, the O'Neills Foyle Cup.