Global Glens

Huge Congratulations to Charlie Campbell, Zak Magowan & Adam Dolan (standby) on their well deserved call ups to the U16 Northern Ireland Squad.

The boys will head off to Cyprus to take part in a UEFA Development tournament and are due to take on their counterparts from Cyprus, Romania & Scotland.

We are proud to see them on the international stage and wish them every success. (4 February 2025)

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First International call ups of 2025

Congratulations to Glentoran Academy players Zak Magowan, Jack Faloona, Joel Kerr, and Charlie Campbell on being selected to represent their country against Australia

Good luck, boys (January 10 2025)

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Glentoran Academy Increases Investment in Veo!

We’re excited to announce the addition of five new AI-powered Veo cameras as part of our drive to further professionalise academy football.

These state-of-the-art cameras provide elite match and training analysis, helping players improve their skills, gain tactical insights, and increase visibility to professional scouts.

Academy Manager Michael Jackson said:

"This investment highlights our commitment to developing young talent and preparing them for the demands of professional football."

The future of Glentoran is brighter than ever! (1 January 2025)

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ACADEMY CALL UPS

Last night was a great night for Glentoran Academy continuing to push our players through the ranks, with 16 year old GK Milo Beimers getting called up to the 1st team & 15 year old GK Caoimhin McCorry (Keevo) getting called up the U20s.

Well done lads (31 December 2024)

 

 

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Glens boys in Cyprus

Congratulations to the Glentoran academy stars—Daniel Patterson, Adam Nelson, Matthew Belshaw, Mason Ayre, and Jay Forsythe—on their incredible achievement with the Northern Ireland U15s!

Their hard work and dedication played a key role in helping the team claim the tournament title in Cyprus. (30 November 2024)

 

 

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MOTM Adam

Once again congratulations to the Glentoran Academy players who represented Northern Ireland U15s in the game against Hungary on Friday.

Another outstanding performance saw NI captain Adam Nelson earn the Man of the Match award.

Well done to Adam and all the boys! (30 November 2024)

 

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Congratulations Mason

A huge congratulations to Glentoran Academy players Daniel Patterson, Adam Nelson, Matthew Belshaw, Mason Ayre, and Jay Forsythe, who represented Northern Ireland U15s in their 3-1 win against Cyprus on Wednesday!

Special shoutout to Mason Ayre for his outstanding performance, contributing a goal and 2 assists to earn the Man of the Match award.

We also wish a speedy recovery to goalkeeper Matthew Belshaw after picking up a head injury during the game. (29 November 2024)

 

 

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Welcome Jamison Rainey

Glentoran Academy is excited to welcome Jamison Rainey to the club.

Jamison, a talented young forward with great ability in front of goal, will be another excellent addition to the academy structure.

Welcome to the club! (22 November 2024)

 

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More International call ups

Congratulations to Glentoran 2010 players Jay Forsyth, Mason Ayre, Mathew Belshaw, Adam Nelson, and Daniel Paterson on being selected to represent their country in Cyprus!

Also Glentoran players on standby Rory Prenter and Corey McBride! (6 November 2024)

GOOD LUCK BOYS

 

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 Under 17 NI call ups (27 October 2024)

Congratulations to Glentoran players Joel Kerr, Jack Faloona, and Milo Beimers, and former Academy players Darragh McCann and George Feeney (now with Ipswich and Spurs respectively), on their continued international recognition.

Milo has been selected to represent Canada on a tour of Costa Rica, whilst the other 4 lads have all been called into the NI U17 squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers.

GOOD LUCK BOYS

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Double trophy win for Glens 2016 boys

A fantastic weekend for our Glentoran Youth 2016 team winning trophies at both Rangers Summer Cup on Friday night & the Glenavon Cup today.

After coming through a tough group in the Rangers summer cup we went on to beat Glenavon in the semi finals of the plate and then came back from 4-1 down against Loughgall with 10 minutes to go to win 5-4 in a thrilling the final

On Sunday we travelled to Lurgan for the Glenavon Cup and again made it through to the plate competition beating Bloomfield in the semi finals to set up another exciting final against Crusaders where we went on to win on penalties!

We're incredibly proud of these boys who are working hard and enjoying their football. (14 August 2024)

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Glentoran 2018s win Clonduff competition

Congratulations to both the players and the coaches of our young 2018 side who played absolutely fantastic today and should be immensely proud.

The team of 5 and 6 year olds found themselves top of their group after the first three games with wins and a draw, with an end to end game against Cliftonville and to win the tournament on penalties against Shorts FC.

This shows the fantastic work the coaches are doing on a weekly basis with our 2018s and with being a newly formed team the only way to the top is through development. (4th August 2024)

 

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22 Glens off to Supercup NI

We have a total of 22 boys from the club representing their counties in this year’s SuperCup NI. A massive achievement for the club, the players and their coaches.

Good luck lads. Go and enjoy the experience. (22nd July 2024)

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Well Done Glentoran 2016 Colts

A huge well done to our 2016 Glentoran Colts who went unbeaten throughout the tournament until their final game where they played a very tough Newell FC team but held their own throughout the match, it was a very entertaining game, both teams had chances but the young Glentoran lads came out just short. The boys scored 32 goals and conceded only 8 goals throughout the entire tournament. A very successful week for the boys who played some attractive football which was praised by opposition teams, parents and the Foyle Cup officials.      (20 July 2024)

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Well Done Glentoran 2015s

A massive well done to our Glentoran 2015s who finished top of their Foyle Cup group with some unbelievable games against Moyola, Bushmills, Tri Star, NFK Kesh and Kildrdum Tigers. Four wins from five games was a fantastic start to the tournament. The boys finished in 4th place overall out of a total of 88 teams. (20 July 2024)

 

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Foyle Cup Champions

Congratulations to Glentoran 2016s on winning the Foyle Cup today with a 1-0 victory over Maiden City in the final. The boys steam rolled their way to tournament success with a remarkable 9 wins from 9, scoring 58 goals and conceding just 3 the whole week! Well done to the players, coaches, and parents for representing the club so well this week (19 July 2024)

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Get Well Soon Ollie

Ollie McGuickin broke his collarbone this morning in a friendly v Bangor FC 2010s. Unfortunately meaning that Ollie will be missing the SuperCup, we are all absolutely gutted for him.

We hope you make a speedy recovery and hope to see you back on the pitch soon. (16 July 2024)

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Plate winners GFC 2016S

A HUGE Congratulations to Glentoran 2016s, winners of the plate at the Craigavon cup. (29 June 2024)

 

 

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5 Glens 2011s off to Spanish Tournament

Best of luck and congratulations to the 5 Glentoran 2011 players who jet off to the Costa Blanca Cup in Benidorm this morning to represent the South Belfast Youth League. The players are Isaac Steele, Theo McCreery, Adam McAllister, Charlie Crawford, and Lewis Brown. Enjoy the experience boys (28 June 2024)

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2010 Squad Champs Again

 

Congratulations to the Glentoran 2010s who retained the National League Title with a 3-0 win against Cliftonville today! Well done Champs!!   (9 June 2024)

• NIBFA Cup
• All-Ireland Cup
• Back to back leagues
• Massive well done to the boys and coaches

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Call up for Casey

Congratulations to Casey Smyth who  - following a successful Tri-Nations tournament at Under 18 level -  has now been called into the Northern Ireland Under 19 squad for their 2 upcoming home UEFA U19 International Friendlies v Slovakia Under 19s. (5 June 2024)

The games will be played on:

• Friday 7th June at Seaview, kick off 6pm
• Monday 18th June at Inver Park, kick off 6pm

Well done and the very best of luck Casey!

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2013s London Adventure

Glentoran 2013s reached the quarter finals of an extremely high-level tournament in London on Sunday afternoon.

The boys had a great warm up game at the QPR dome on Saturday to set them up well for the main competition at Chelsea Training Ground.

Onto the tournament itself and wins against Shamrock Rovers, Hilton Vipers, and Eastwood CFC saw them progress to the Quarter Finals to face Supreme Football Skills Academy, the eventual winners of the tournament.

The squad gave a great representation of Glentoran Football Club with tournament organisers and other coaches being extremely complimentary.

Well done to all the players, coaches and parents.

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Fantastic Trophy Successes for 2010 Boys Teams

Congratulations to our 2010 South Belfast Youth League team on winning the treble this season! Great work boys, fantastic achievement.

• SBYL Divisonal trophy
• SBYL premier cup
• SBYL premier league

Also many congratulations to Glentoran 2010s who at the weekend won the All-Ireland Subway Cup in Dublin by defeating Mount Merrion FC 4-0. The boys qualified for this final by virtue of winning the Northern Ireland Boys FA Cup with a victory over Larne. Massive well done to the coaches and players on their fantastic achievements this year! (3rd June 2024)

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Under 16s visit Sunderland AFC

Our under 16 NIFL squad received a warm welcome today at the Sunderland FC’s Academy of Light

The boys took part in a tour of the training complex and a training session held by Sunderland’s academy coaches.

Tomorrow the squad will look forward to the game against Sunderland’s under 16 academy team to finish off the trip. (17 May 2024)

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4 more international call ups for Glentoran Academy

Best of luck to Glentoran 2010 players Adam Nelson, Rory Prenter, Jay Forsyth, Mason Ayre who are off to represent Northern Ireland in Holland (17 May 2024)

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Glens U14 Cup Winners!

In a great week for Glentoran Academy squads, congratulations to our Under 14 team on winning the NIBFA Cup!

The Young Glens Glentoran U14s defeated Larne 2-0 in the decider for the prestigious trophy through second half goals from  Corey McBride and Noah Doak.

The team for the final was: Joshua Vaiulumuli, Daniel Patterson, Damian Sitnicki, Jamie McCreery, Eoin Harden, Adam Nelson (captain), Rory Prenter, Jacob Patterson, Mason Ayre, Cillian Murray, Jay Forsythe Subs  Cameron Hayes, Enzo Bosket, Noah Doak, Riley McCormick, Corey McBride. Well done to all of them!

Well done also to the coaching team of David Hayes (Head Coach), Steven Patterson and Gary Harden.

The win keeps the boys on course for a league and cup double as they are 3 points ahead of Cliftonville at the top of the table with a much superior goal difference. They can clinch the double in the final game of the season when they host Larne on Saturday 18th May,

Very well done boys and coaches (8th May 2024)

 

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Congratulations Champs!

Congratulations to the Glentoran Academy Under 16 squad  who have won NIFL Academy League U16 league title for 2023-24.

The boys won the title with 2 games to go with one game to play are 3 points ahead of Linfield who have concluded their 30 games.

Key contributing players in the squad have been: Milo Beimers, Jayden Charnley, Charlie Campbell, Rhys Williamson, Jake Drennan, Jack Faloona, Darragh McCann, Daniel Beatty, Joel Kerr (captain), Gary Dickson, Barry McKervey, George Feeney, Cal Weatherup, Cameron Reid, Joshua McGookin, Scott McCoubrey, Oisin Murray, Blake Matier, Reece Bell, Jack Martindale, Callum McCoy, Alex Green, Mason Ayre, Adam Dolan and Patrick James Dowds-Dillon.

The team has scored an incredible 94 goals in 29 games, conceding only 20. Top scorers have been skipper Joel Kerr (16), Daniel Beatty (10), Callum McCoy and Cal Weatherup (both 9). Quite a few of the lads have had game time with the U18, U20s or even the first team in the case of George Feeney and Cal Weatherup.

Congratulations also to the coaching team of Michael Jackson, John Banford, Conor Murray and Kitman Michael Brown.

Glentoran Manager Declan Devine was at the Bet McLean Oval to greet the young Champions on Saturday morning. (6th May 2024)

Hotspur.

The three-day trip started early on Easter Sunday when the squads left Belfast airport and travelled to London in preparation for the days ahead.

Monday started brightly with a warm welcome at West Ham training academy. A brief Q&A with West Ham U18s manager and former first teamer Kevin Keen and current West Ham and Northern Ireland Under 18 player Josh Briggs enlightened the squads on the day-to-day commitment and attitude required to succeed at a professional academy. The two games quickly followed with both the 18s and 16s performing really well against West Ham’s academy teams, including a great 3-0 win for the Under 16s. A smashing day all round.

On Easter Tuesday the boys travelled north to the state of the art Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre. Both squads then took part in very valuable development training sessions with Spurs’ Academy coaches and players. The Glens contingent was then treated to a light lunch, Q&A and a tour around the state of the art complex by the Head of Coach Development Joe Staunton. Joe provided the squad with great insight into the academy set up at Spurs.

The day rounded off well when some players and coaches were lucky enough to see the first team and meet a few Spurs legends including Northern Ireland’s Pat Jennings and former England striker Jermaine Defoe.

Overall a very enjoyable and educational  trip and a memorable experience for both players and coaches.

Everyone from Glentoran Academy sends a massive thank you to all the staff at both West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur for providing such a professional experience. We look forward to building links and working closely in the near future. (21st April 2024)

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Joel and Charlie off to France

All the best to Glentoran players Joel Kerr and Charlie Campbell who are flying to France to represent Northern Ireland U15 next week in 2 friendlies v France. (15 April 2024)

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Special week for Glentoran Academy

What a great week of football with our Reserves starting the week on Monday with a resounding 7-3 win over Loughgall…..coming back from 3-1 down and a hat-trick for James McClure.

5 of our Reserves were playing for the NI U18 schoolboys…….picking up their 3rd win in a row with a 2-0 away win against Scotland……Jude Johnson opening the scoring and named MOTM……

Lorcan Donnelly was away in a training camp with the NI U19s and Johnny Russell was called up to the NI U21s.

Friday night saw our U18s beat Linfield 3-1 with a strong, convincing, outstanding team based performance…….

Also on Friday night, our U14s Team beat Ballinamallard 2-0 to reach the final of the NIBFA Cup.

Our U16s drew 1-1 with Dungannon Swifts on Saturday morning, putting our 16s 1pt clear of Linfield at the top of the league…….with a ‘head 2 head’ next Saturday morning before our boys head off on their ‘Tour 2 London’ where they’ll play games against West Ham & Spurs…..

Our U15s are heading off, today, to compete in the Leicester City FC U15 Cup…..good luck boys and go well……

Finally, on Saturday afternoon young Theo McToal made his debut for our 1st Team coming on as a 79th minute sub (photo below)…….

Well done to everyone involved…….what a week…….. (24 March 2024)

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4 for Estonia

Congratulations to the 4 Glentoran FC 2008s players who today received their selection letters to represent Northern Ireland in The Under 16 UEFA International tournament travelling to Estonia from Sunday 21st April to Monday 29th April 2024. Well done to Darragh McCann, Jayden Charnley, Jack Faloona and George Feeney. On standby for accl up are Milo Beimers Barry McKervey and Jake Drennen.

Matches will be played against Ukraine, Luxembourg, and Estonia (6th March 2024)

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Fantastic wins for Glens 2010s in Manchester

What an awsome experience for Glentoran 2010s! A trip of a lifetime at which they defeated Manchester United 2-1 and Fleetwood Town 2-0. Massive well done to all involved for representing our club with distinction. (16th February 2024)

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Congratulations Jack

Congratulations to Glentoran 2011 player Jack McAllister on his selection for the IFA Best v Best programme. Well done Jack. (14th February 2024)

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Academy Update: 2011 Squad

Many congratulations to Glentoran 2011 players Reigan Long, Miceal O’Hanlon, Jack Doran, and Ollie Prenter, on their selection for the Irish Football Associations ‘Best vs Best Development Programme.

The boys can be very proud of their achievements having been scouted for this programme among a very talented and competitive age group.

Well done boys and best wishes from everyone at Glentoran FC & Academy. (6th February 2024)

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Academy Update: Under 18 Squad

The under 18s squad has showcased the club's commitment to youth development, fostering talent from a young age and successfully promoting players to the reserves and first team this season. Although results have varied, the young players have embraced the challenges, gaining valuable experience. The club is pleased with the progress at the mid-point of the season.

Impressively, the club has contributed 5 players to the under 16 international team (Milo Beimers, Darragh McCann, Jayden Charnley, Jack Faloona and George Feeney) and another 5 to the under 18 schoolboy team. These achievements highlight the quality of talent being nurtured within the club.

As the season progresses, the under 18s are eager to finish on a high note. The players are now looking forward to their upcoming Easter trip to London, where they will face formidable opponents in Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham, providing a valuable opportunity for the players to further showcase their skills on a larger stage.

Under 18 Internationals Casey Smyth, James Douglas, Callan Farley, Jude Johnson and Owen O’Neil (4th February 2024)

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Academy News: 5 picked for Victory Shield

Congratulations to five Glentoran Academy players who have been called up by Northern Ireland Under 16s for the 2023 Victory Shield Squad

Milo Beimers, Darragh McCann, Jayden Charnley, Jack Faloona and George Feeney will all head to Wales next week  for the tournament, also featuring Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, which will run from Monday (6 November) until the following Saturday (11 November).

Well done boys and have a great Tournament. (3 November 2023)

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Foyle Vase Win for Glentoran 09s

A select team made up of our 2009 A and B squads came together to play in the Foyle Cup this year.

Using the opportunity to step up the intensity and fitness ahead of preseason the boys played a year up within the 08 competition.

Group games were hard fought against strong Newhill, Draperstown Celtic and Inishowen YL Select teams and the lads came away with a win, a draw and a loss.

After being filtered into The Foyle Vase, a Thursday semi-final against Cabbrey Rovers led the boys to a final on Friday against St Oliver Plunkett 08s.

This was the game of the week with the 2 teams giving everything to come away with the win.

The Glens would go 1 down early on before battling back to take a 2-1 lead, but Plunkett converted a spot kick on the stroke of half time to draw level again and setup a thrilling 2nd half.

The second half saw SOP try to make full use of their years advantage in size and strength and did their best to make the game as physical as possible. After 10 minutes of coming to terms with the fight The Glens settled into playing some brilliant football and scoring 2 good goals to go into a commanding lead.

St Oliver Plunkett would rally and score a third to make the last 10 minutes interesting but any nerves were calmed with a brilliant breakaway goal in the dying moments to give the lads a well deserved 5-3 win on the day.

Some brilliant performances both individually and as a team over the course of the week and valuable experience with playing a year above.

Really well done to all the lads and a special mention to Scott McCoubrey who suffered a nasty rib injury and we continue to wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to his return as soon as possible.

Well done men!

Squad;  Callum Courtney, Sam Ferguson, Archie Irvine (C), Jack Brown, Scott McCoubrey, Cole Smith, Justin Gillespie, Matthew Lowry, Thomas McCrissican, Jack Crawford, Dan Preston, Aodhan O’Hanlon, Ryan Watt, Ross Robinson, Dylan Jardine, Jack Spence

Article by Stephen Lowry

More Success for our Academy teams

Congratulations to two of our Glentoran Academy squads on a triumphant end to the 2022-23 season:

Glentoran 2009s  (above) won the U14 National League title today with a game to spare. A long and difficult campaign came to its conclusion with a 4-2 win away to Dungannon. The memorable season returned a haul of 4 trophies, beginning with the Craigavon Cup and Belfast Youth Cup in the summer, followed by the National League Plate and National League Championship in the last week. The boys were also beaten finalists in the prestigious Super Cup NI having defeated English Premiership outfit Leicester City on the road to the final. Many congratulations and well done to the boys for all their hard work all season. Squad: Callum Courtney, Archie Irvine, Conor Watson, Charlie Campbell, Matthew Lowry, Jack Brown, Zac Dickson, Cameron Reid, Joel Kerr, Matthew McCann, Luke Murray, David Green, Aodhan O’Hanlon, Sam Ferguson, Ryan Watt. Congratulations also to the coaching team of Stephen Lowry, David Lowry and Declan Lynch.

Glentoran 2010s won the National League Cup Final yesterday with a 3-0 win over Tri Star at Stangmore Park, Dungannon.  The Glens goals came from Daniel Patterson, Mason Ayre and Eoin Harden. Man Of The Match was Glens number 19, Cillian Murray. The team on the day was: 1. Phoenix Blayney, 2. Daniel Patterson 3. Damian Sitnicki 5. Mason Ayre 6. Cameron Hayes 7. Eoin Harden 8. Enzo Bosket 9. Adam Nelson (capt) 12. Jacob Patterson 19, Cillian Murray 21. Rory Prenter subs: 4. Jamie McCreery 11. Noah Doak 14. Riley McCormick 23. Oli Robinson 31. Jack Leighton. Congratulations also to the coaching team of David Hayes, Steven Patterson and Paul Prenter.

Its great to see our Academy teams achieve such success and this can only bode well for the future of Glentoran. Well done boys! (14 May 2023)

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Barcelona Cup Triumph for Glens Boys

A Glentoran Academy youth squad is celebrating after winning a major tournament in Spain. Glentoran Under 13s surged to victory at the prestigious Copa Jordi in Barcelona over the Easter weekend.

John Lyness' 2010 squad beat off opposition from Finland, Italy and France to be crowned champions, with their coronation sealed with a penalty shootout win over Athletic Alcione Milano in a tense final.

It was a proud moment for the East Belfast ,side who have endured some heartache in recent times, having lost their last two finals following penalty shootouts.

"The Copa Jordi was played from Thursday to Monday in Barcelona. The venue was a place called Soccerland Catalunya," John told Belfast Live.

"During the whole tournament, there were in the region of 5,000 participants and supporters. It is absolutely huge. Teams from across Europe participated and it was a very high standard. There were two sections in our competition, five teams in each group. We had one team from Finland, two teams from Italy and a French team. All different styles of football, shapes and sizes - such a mixture."

John was previously coach at Crusaders for three years before taking up the reins at Glentoran four years ago. He is a Glens fan himself, making this recent success even more special.

"We have built this team over the past three or four years, during the pandemic and everything else When Covid passed I wanted to do something special for them. There are lots of fantastic tournaments such as Blackpool and the Foyle Cup, but we wanted to go the extra mile.

We needed 13 players to go to Spain, and we ended up with 17 plus three coaches. Chris Boucher and Peter Kane joined me on the trip. We also had 25 supporters, so 45 of us in total all travelled together from Dublin. The boys have done tremendously well and deserved something special. This was a great learning curve for them, seeing other cultures and places, and also other standards of football."

The boys kicked off their tournament with an 8-0 win over their Finnish opponents and followed it up with a 1-0 and 6-1 wins over two Italian sides. Despite losing their final group game, they were already guaranteed a place in the showpiece final. The winners of Group A played the winners of Group B in the final, and we already knew we were in the final before we played our last group game.

We played our final on Sunday afternoon against Athletic Alcione Milano and things didn't go our way for large parts of the game. We had a player sent off which was unfair, and then we thought we had won a late penalty but our player got booked for diving. You start thinking it is not going to be our day, but we battled back from a goal down to equalise and then force penalties."

John says his side's previous disappointments in penalty shootouts didn't give him much confidence heading into another spot-kick decider.

"We lost our last two finals on penalties and you have those nerves and doubts. But five lads put up their hands to take penalties and they all excelled. My son Oliver is our goalkeeper and he saved the first penalty, we scored our next three and their fourth penalty was saved again by Oliver. Our fourth penalty was taken by Daniel Boucher who scored our opening goal in the tournament. And he ended up scoring our final goal, too.

"It was manic at the end, with players, coaches and parents all overwhelmed by Glentoran taking the Copa Jordi title back to East Belfast. We went to Barcelona just looking to score a goal. Then we won our first game and things snowballed from there. It kept going and going, and the belief grew that we could go on and win this.

I am so proud of the players for the effort they put in against quality opposition. A lot of the other teams praised Glentoran for the standard of football we played. It was an experience of a lifetime and these kids will remember this for a long time. And they deserve every plaudit they get."

The Copa Jordi success also keeps our U13s on track for a potential quadruple this season.

John: "We play in the Premier League of the South Belfast Youth League. So far this season has been fantastic. We have lost one out of 18 league games. We are in the semi-final of the Premier League Cup, and we need one point to win the Premier League title. We have already won the Supplementary League and have claimed the Copa Jordi. So it could be a very special season for the boys."

Story courtesy of Belfast Live (14 April 2023)

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Global Glens: Youth International Roundup

Our 8 young players have returned to the club following international duty at various age groups. 

Under 19 European Championship Elite Qualifying Round.  

Aaron Wightman has had a number of club senior appearances under his belt this season. The Glentoran scholarship graduate played every minute for the Northern Ireland U19 side in their three games against Norway, France & Romania. Showing his versatility, Aaron played on the left hand side in a number of formations throughout the week. A great experience to play at such an elite level tournament, the French team they faced had forward Mathys Tel who has played 16 times this season for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. 

Aaron Wightman: “Overall it was a great experience I really enjoyed playing in them types of games against some of the best players in Europe at my age age. We are disappointed with how our 10 days went as a group as we thought we were capable of playing a lot better in the 3 games. However I will personally take a lot away from the experience as it helped me understand the level you have to get to to be at the highest level.”

Under 17 European Championship Elite Qualifying Round. 

We had four players all involved in the Northern Ireland U17 squad, the most from any other club. Goalkeeper Lorcan Donnelly was joined by midfielder James Douglas and talented attackers Rhys Walsh & Casey Smyth.  Three tough games for the young side, they conceded an injury time goal against Holland to lose 2-1, followed by a 1-0 defeat to England and then losing 4-1 to Denmark in their final match.  

Goalkeeper Lorcan Donnelly started in match-day 1 against Holland and was awarded man of the match, however a head injury received late in that game ruled the shot stopper out for the rest of the competition. Lorcan was looked at by medical staff and will hopefully be back playing soon.

James Douglas: “The standard of opposition was a different level, playing against some of the best players in Europe really showed the level I must aim to get to. As a team we performed really well, we were disappointed to concede in the last minute against Holland. Overall it was a great learning experience, it showed me the physical demands of playing at the highest level.” 

Casey Smyth: “It was a great experience, we showed as a nation that we can compete with other top sides. I was hoping to get more minutes on the pitch, but I still took a lot away from the trip.”

Lorcan Donnelly: “Coming off the back of performing well at the last tournament, I went into the elite qualifiers full of confidence. The opening game against Holland was tough, we gave a good account of ourselves against one of the best teams in Europe. Unfortunately my tournament was cut short due to injury, but I am recovering well and look forward to getting back on the pitch with Elliott and the rest of the goalkeepers.”

Rhys Walsh: “It was a great eye opening experience and shows that we can compete with top nations. I thought at times we matched them in the games. It has given me the confidence that I can compete at a higher level.” 

Under 18 Schoolboys Centenary Shield

Callan Farley has been representing the club in the prestigious U18 Schoolboys Centenary Shield competition. The defender has started all three games for Northern Ireland so far against Wales, Scotland & Republic of Ireland. Despite drawing their opening game against Scotland, Northern Ireland lost against Wales & Republic of Ireland respectively. 

Callan Farley: “The centenary shield journey so far has been surreal, we still have 1 game left. The three teams we have faced have been very good, there are players from Kilmarnock & Hibernian in the Scotland side for example. The pace and intensity of the games have been high, it was a great learning experience as one simple mistake could have such an effect.”

Under 16 UEFA Development Tournament

Conor Haughey & George Feeney travelled to Poland to compete in a UEFA Development tournament against Poland, South Africa & Luxembourg. An opening 2-1 victory over South Africa followed by a 3-0 win over Luxembourg, in their final game the side lost 3-0 to Poland. 

Conor Haughey: “It was a great experience to go and play other international teams to prepare us for the European qualifiers in Italy.  I was delighted to start in every game, it gave me a lot of confidence that the coach trusted me in the games.”

George Feeney: “I really enjoyed my time away with the Under 16 squad. It was a good experience especially with me playing a year up. It’s a real honour to play for Northern Ireland due to my family connections.”

All 8 players have came back with valuable experience in their time away. Playing against different nations in elite level games. Something that will no doubt benefit them going forward in their development. (4 April 2023)

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Global Glens: U17 & U19 Elite Qualifiers

A number of our young players have been called up to represent Northern Ireland for the upcoming Elite Qualifying Round for Euro 2023. 

Lorcan Donnelly, Casey Smyth, who both attend the Glentoran Elite Scholarship Programme, along with James Douglas and Rhys Walsh have been named in the Under 17 squad that will compete in a 4 team tournament against Holland, England & Denmark. 

Aaron Wightman has been named in the Under 19 squad that will travel to face France, Norway & Romania.  The 19 year old has played 22 times this season for the 1st team having progressed through our academy, development teams and graduated from our Elite Scholarship Programme.

A really big achievement for the players to be included in the panel for their respective tournaments.

Manager Rodney McAree: “I'm delighted to hear that the 5 boys have been selected squad for the upcoming Euro Championship elite qualifiers, all 5 boys have been excellent this season for our U20 team or when they have featured in first team games and they all deserve their recognition! Best of luck to Aaron, Casey, James, Lorcan, and Rhys. Well done to you all!”

Head of Goalkeeping Elliott Morris: “Fantastic to see Lorcan get into the squad. He is an exciting talent and one that we have high hopes for in the future. It shows that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the country at his age and has improved massively which is a testament to his attitude. I am also delighted to see Mason Munn who has also been called up, a Glenman that spent a number of years with the academy before joining Rangers.” (16/03/23)

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Casey Smyth Signs Professional Contract

Glentoran Football Club are delighted to announce that academy player Casey Smyth has signed a 3 year professional contract with the club. 

Winger Casey, who is the son of Glentoran legend Gary Smyth joined the academy aged 13 from local boys club Ridgeway Rovers. 

The 17 year old, currently in his first year of our Elite Scholarship Programme in partnership with Ashfield Boys High School will continue to complete his studies whilst training full time with the club.  Casey has benefitted greatly from the additional training the course has to offer and has also been involved in the ClubNI set up and represented County Down at the prestigious SuperCupNI tournament. 

Manager Rodney McAree: “Casey is the latest of our young up and coming players to sign a professional contract. Casey, who is in the first year of our Elite Scholarship Programme at Ashfield Boys’ High School, is following Aaron Wightman, Lorcan Donnelly and Josh Stewart, in signing his first professional contract with our club. We have no doubt Casey will continue to develop and progress into the senior squad.”

Club Legend Gary Smyth and father of Casey: “His mother and I are very proud that he has signed on a professional contract. He’s an Ashfield pupil and obviously a Glenman through no fault of his own. Casey is a very quiet lad, but I know he’s delighted to commit his future to the Glens and he’s really progressed and enjoyed his football with the reserves this season under Norman, Andy, Davy and Jim.” (06/03/23)

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First Pro Contract for Lorcan

The club is delighted to formally announce that our young goalkeeper Lorcan Donnelly has signed his first professional contract with the club.

Lorcan (16) – regular keeper with the Glens Under 20s – joined the club from Cliftonville. He played international for Northern Ireland Under 16s and has now been promoted to the U17s for the forthcoming away match in Finland.

Glentoran Goalkeeper Coach Elliott Morris has worked closely with Lorcan and he said to www.glentoran.com : “I’ve worked with Lorcan since he was eleven and he has progressed superbly. He has a great attitude and work ethic and I’m not surprised he moved so quickly from the U18s up to the 20s. I’m looking forward to seeing him progress into our full-time setup.”

Congratulations Lorcan. (05/09/22)

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NI Call for Aaron

Congratulations to our young first team squad member Aaron Wightman on being selected for the Northern Ireland U19 squad for their two friendlies against Malta’s U19s next month as part of ongoing preparations for Euro qualifiers this autumn.

Gerard Lyttle’s team will face Malta on Wednesday 8 June and again on Friday 10 June. Both games are due to be staged at the Malta Football Association training complex in Ta’ Qali, with kick-off at 20.30 local time (19.30 UK time).

A number of Aaron's former Glens Academy team mates are also in the squad, including Charlie Lindsay, Jamie McDonnell, Conor Falls and Matthew Carson.

Congratulations Aaron and all the very best for your trip. (23/05/22)

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