Highlights from the Supernovas Cup 2023

This June, we held our very first Supernovas Cup, a two-day football tournament focused on fun

The Supernovas Cup 2023 took place from June 3–4, inviting Supernova participants from across the country—children, parents, and coaches alike—to come together and share their love for the game. This large-scale tournament was the first of its kind, and reflected the club's core belief that all football enthusiasts deserve the chance to play for fun.

During the tournament, children from different regions of Kazakhstan were able to meet, hang out, and connect over their favorite sport. The matches all followed the standard rules, but with one major exception: there were no winners or losers. With this tournament, we wanted to give children the opportunity to practice the sport and just enjoy the experience. After all, competitions can be stressful for young players, who might struggle to play to their full potential under pressure. That's why, when deciding the tournament rules, we wanted to encourage children to play and have fun, without worrying about the scoreboard.

The first day of the tournament was filled with friendly matches between players from all active Supernova clubs throughout Kazakhstan. Later on, the children were treated to an exciting game between FC Kairat Almaty and FC Okzheptes Kokshetau at the Almaty Central Stadium.
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On the second day, our Supernovas challenged a team of professional players from AFC Kairat and bloggers from the FC Alatau media crew to a large, friendly game. A total of 126 children, ages 6 to 12, took part in the lively and star-studded match.

Notable guests at the tournament included players from Kazakhstan's national futsal team and AFC Kairat, Birjan Orazov, Dauren Tursagulov, and Léo Higuita (named Best Goalkeeper in the World 5 times), as well as actors Myrza Mahambet from the series "Father, Mother, Child" and Azat Zhumadil from the series "Sheker."

A total of 24 friendly matches took place across 3 age categories. All players received first-place medals.

The tournament also featured a "fun zone" where children from all teams could meet off football field to talk, hang out, and play games like table tennis, foosball, and corn hole.‍

Player Temirlan Aydosuly from Supernovas Ulytau:
"It was so cool. Our team got closer and we met children from other teams too. We also got to meet players from the national team and talk to them."

Coach Andrey Kulenyuk from Supernovas Zerenda:
"Most importantly, the children had a great time. It's really an experience they'll remember all their lives, and I know the parents and coaches are so happy that the Supernovas project has given them this unique opportunity."‍

The tournament was held at the Talgar football training center for the Kazakhstan national team. Thank you to the Kazakhstan Football Federation for their active contributions that helped make the Supernovas Cup 2023 possible.