Five people signed the document: acting mayor and council secretary Anzhela Makeieva, director of the Veres Academy Irpin football academy Yurii Denysenko, head of the Education and Science Department of Irpin City Council Mariia Hostin, director of the Irpin youth sports school Volodymyr Tarasov, and director of the Irpin Vocational College of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences Dmytro Kostiuk.

The signing was announced by Irpin City Council.

Sport, school and college at the same table

The list of signatories explains the intent better than any declaration: a private football academy, the municipal education department, a sports school and a vocational college. The tournament was therefore conceived from the outset as a city-wide event rather than an internal fixture of one academy.

"Today we are opening a new stage in the development of football in the Irpin community. We are starting with a fine initiative — the Cup of Resilience of Irpin, which is meant to become not merely a sporting tournament but an annual tradition uniting children, young people, athletes, coaches, fans and everyone who loves football and a healthy lifestyle," Anzhela Makeieva said.

"As a professional athlete, I know how much quality competition matters"

The head of the community stressed that she speaks from her own experience. "As a professional athlete, I know well how important quality competition is for an athlete's development. Initiatives like this become additional motivation for children and young people to train hard, refine their skills and reach new heights," she said.

The difference between training and a tournament is fundamental in youth sport: without regular competition there is nowhere to apply the skills, and motivation rests solely on the coach's enthusiasm.

The base already exists

Many young footballers already train at Veres Academy Irpin, and the city council expects their number to grow once the cup is launched. The goal the community sets out is to raise a generation of athletes able to represent the city nationally and internationally.

No dates for the first Cup of Resilience of Irpin were named in the announcement — for now this is a framework document under which the parties have agreed to work together.

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