Doyle will act as "Godfather" to the U-12 team which will
be selected to represent Ireland in the 2008 Danone Nations Cup Irish campaign.
Doyle's predecessors in the role of Godfather include former Manchester United and Ireland player Denis Irwin and Doyle's team-mate on the Irish squad, Shay Given.
Regional tournaments have been taking place around the country since March,with every U-12 schoolboys league represented.Eight teams will be selected from seven regional tournaments.Five teams have already qualified, with the remaining three to be decided between now and May.The eight qualifiers will go forward to the National Final of the Danone Nations Cup in June, in the hope of winning the honour of representing their country at the World Finals in Paris, France, from the 5th to the 7th of September 2008.
Speaking at the launch, Kevin Doyle said, "It's encouraging to see young talent being given such recognition. When I was growing up there certainly wasn't anything like this, especially on such an enormous scale. To be just eleven and given the opportunity to live your dream by representing your country, that really is something amazing."
"I'm delighted to be part of this competition, which is so supportive of the youth of the game and which provides the invaluable opportunity for kids to meet and interact with so many different cultures."
This is the 9th year of the Danone Nations Cup, and the 6th year that
Ireland has participated. The Danone Nations Cup has become the world's top football tournament for children in the 10-12 age group. The World Final is the culmination of a year of competition, over five continents. The winners of the national tournaments in the 40 participating countries come together in a prestigious stadium, filled with huge crowds, to play their favourite sport under the proud gaze of some of the greatest stars of the international game, and in particular the event's sponsor: Zinedine Zidane. This year the après match party will take place in Euro Disney. Further information is available at: www.danonecup.com.