Northern Ireland: Irish FA to base National Training Centre at Galgorm

The Irish Football Association will reveal later this week that their new National Training Centre will be located next to the Galgorm Resort, just outside Ballymena.

Two pitches will be built at the site to accommodate training facilities for men’s and women’s senior and youth teams, with some financial assistance for the project being provided by government.

Senior Irish FA officials will inform members of the IFA Council this week of the decision to proceed with plans for development at the County Antrim resort.

The announcement will bring to an end a lengthy period of speculation about potential venues for the venture.

The IFA had considered basing the centre the centre in Antrim, but said that “no formal arrangements were ever agreed” for the development of a 60-acre site in the Birch Hill area.

Last month a spokesperson for the IFA told BBC News NI: “The council were clear at all times that Birch Hill Road was under strategic consideration along with several other locations, and that exploratory discussions about the site were at preliminary stages.

“No formal arrangements were ever agreed and we maintain an excellent relationship with Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council.”

A statement issued by football’s governing body in Northern Ireland back in September 2023 outlined their ambitions that a National Training Centre would “create a second home for Northern Ireland football to complement the excellent match venue at the National Stadium at Windsor Park”.

“The intention is to create a bespoke high-quality facility with a dedicated ‘Northern Ireland identity’. The Irish FA will make a significant investment into the facility and anticipates utilising capital funding from external sources, particularly those that are designed to support national associations in these types of strategic infrastructure projects.”