We are delighted to learn of the success of James, Year 10 (Yates's) who has been selected to play for the Independent Schools Football Association (England) U15s National Team!

In April 2021, the College successfully applied to join the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) the first and only member from Northern Ireland. Once enrolled, the College entered their flagship competition, The Boodles Cup, for U18s. Seventy schools participate in this competition including Eton, Harrow, Millfield and Repton to name a few and exposes our team to a very competitive level of play. In September 2021, pupils travelled to England to play Stockport Grammar School and Manchester Grammar School and we will travel to play St. Bede’s College (Manchester) in the first round of the The Boodles Cup this coming September.  

Along with our membership of ISFA we are invited to send pupils on occasion to trial for the ISFA representative sides.  James, who plays locally with Glentoran FC U16s, was nominated to a recent trial in London for the U15 ISFA national side. We are all so thrilled that James was selected!  James will attend three main training camps in England next season, starting at Harrow. Along with training, there will be a number of games throughout the year against professional academy teams and other representative sides.  For example, last year's U15 ISFA side played Derby County and Wolverhampton Wanderers Academies.  This is an extremely high honour and one that will afford James the chance to showcase his talents alongside and against other top quality players of his age group. The club at Campbell College is extremely proud of James's achievements and we wish him every success in this exciting venture -  we will follow his progress with a keen eye!

As you can surmise, Football at Campbell continues to grow in support and stature. The club has competitive sides at U16 and U18 which play in all the local and national cup competitions, and last year played 45 fixtures in total. Training currently takes place on Monday and Thursday, with matches on Wednesday afternoons.  The Teambuilder app is used by our dedicated strength and conditioning staff to tailor individual programmes for each player. Players participate in one group training session a week and then are expected to complete two further sessions.  Matches are recorded and analysed using the Veo system and Catapult GPS vests are worn to generate the metrics needed to discuss the physical and tactical implications on player performance and development.  

The dedicated and experienced staff at Campbell continue to work to provide the best possible environment for the pupils to grow and reach their full potential both as young men and football players.