Michael O'Neill visits IFA JD Academy as Northern Ireland's youth pathway yields senior call-ups
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill toured the IFA JD Academy at Campbell College, where young players balance education and football training, as several teenagers earn senior squad recognition.
Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill visited the IFA JD Academy Residential at Campbell College, where 24 elite under-15 and under-16 players train while continuing their schooling. The visit came after Northern Ireland's 0-0 home draw with Hungary and a 1-0 win in Georgia in the Nations League, and as teenagers Ceadach O'Neill, Tom Atcheson, Braiden Graham and Kieran Morrison were included in the senior squad, with Patrick Kelly and Terry Devlin also pushing for regular involvement.
The academy is designed to prepare young players both on the pitch and for life away from home. Students such as 16-year-old Bailey Magee, who plays club football for Glenavon, spend school hours in the classroom before moving to gym and pitch sessions and returning to schoolwork in the evening. Magee said the IFA and Campbell College have helped him balance football with studies, and noted that staying away with Northern Ireland has made him more accustomed to time away from family, with the period after Christmas being the hardest.
Fifteen-year-old Kayson Braniff, who is with Linfield, said his father stressed that studies must come first given the uncertainty of a career in football. He described O'Neill's interest as confirmation that the manager cares about youth players. Magee called O'Neill a really nice guy and said the possibility of reaching the senior team in the coming years felt reassuring after their conversation.
O'Neill said he and his staff hold monthly meetings on academy players, tracking the clubs showing interest and their development. He argued that the academy makes teenagers better equipped to handle a move to England or Scotland, where clubs can integrate young players from an earlier age. He also said decisions taken two or three years ago to bring players in younger than their club careers suggested had paid dividends, and stressed the importance of having the right people in place to build loyalty through a clear pathway.
Places in the senior side remain the goal for those in the academy, with previous graduates going on to wear the Northern Ireland shirt or appear in the Champions League, including Conor Bradley. Braniff said the specific destination matters less than earning a professional contract, while Magee said he will work hard until the end of the year and keep options open, including A-Levels, a B.Tech or a full-time academy with clubs such as Linfield or Larne.
Image: Irish FA / BBC Sport
