The League of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Football League have joined forces to launch a new cross-border initiative that will see Academy players from both leagues compete against each other for the first time.
Eight clubs from the EA SPORTS LOI Academy and eight from the NIFL Academy League will take part in two Development Days, hosted in Dublin and Belfast later this month.
The first matches, for players born in 2008 and 2009, will take place on Sunday, August 17th at FAI HQ in Abbotstown, with the return fixtures at Queen’s University, Belfast on Sunday, August 31st.
The programme builds on similar events held this year at MU14 and MU15 levels within the LOI Academy system.
The participating clubs from the League of Ireland are Athlone Town, Bohemians, Galway United, Treaty United, Shelbourne, St Patrick’s Athletic, UCD, and Waterford.
The NIFL clubs are Cliftonville, Coleraine, Dungannon Swifts, Glenavon, Glentoran, Larne, Linfield, and Portadown.
LOI Academy Programme Development Manager Will Clarke said the initiative was the result of close collaboration over several months.
“The events will provide great opportunities for the best players from either side of the border to play against each other in two excellent environments for the first time,” he said.
“I’d like to thank everyone in NIFL and all the clubs from both leagues for their support in what will be a fantastic display of the best talents on the island of Ireland.”
“We share the same ambition to further develop the Academy systems in our leagues and clubs,” added NIFL Chief Operating Officer Steven Mills.
“This is the start of a bigger programme, with greater opportunity for shared learning, the development of better practice, and the creation of best v best for our most talented players.”
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