NIFG: From School to Full

The Northern Ireland Schoolboy teams offer the first step for most players towards international football. The Northern Ireland Schools' FA was founded in 1931, though internationals had been organised as early as 1927.

The NISFA currently runs three male sides at Under-18, Under-16 and the occasionally used Under-15 levels. The main competitions entered by these teams are the Centenary Shield (for Under-18s) and the Victory Shield (Under-16s), though they also play in other tournaments and friendlies.

Perhaps the greatest success for the Northern Ireland Schoolboys was winning the European Schools Championship in 1979 with a team that included future stars, Alan McDonald and Norman Whiteside.

European Schools Champions 1979 (click to enlarge)

Full details

The following is a list of those players who represented Northern Ireland Schools matches, then went on to earn Full caps...

(this list is incomplete - more info to follow)
Under-15/16
Player ............ School ....... Career. Caps (opposition)
1920s
Butler...... M.P... Woodvale...... 1927.... 1 S
1930s
Hinton...... E..... Grosvenor..... 1936.... 1 W
Kernaghan... N..... Belfast....... 1932-33. 2 S W
McAlinden... J..... Milford St.... 1932.... 2 S W
1940s
Barr........ H.H... East Antrim... 1948.... 1 E
Bingham..... W.L... Belfast....... 1945-46. 1 RI
Blanchflower J..... S'town........ 1945-47. 6 RI RI W E S RI
Gregg....... H..... Coleraine..... 1947.... 4 W E S RI

Hill........ M.J... Carrickfergus. 1949-50. 5 E W E W S
1950s
Braithwaite. R.S... Belfast....... 1951.... 2 W E
Briggs...... W.R... Belfast....... 1958.... 3 S W E
Dougan...... A.D... Belfast....... 1952.... 3 W S E
Elder....... A.R... Lisburn....... 1955.... 1 E
Harvey...... M..... Belfast....... 1956-57. 3 E W S
Irvine...... R.J... Carrickfergus. 1956-57. 2 S W
Irvine...... W.J... Carrickfergus. 1958.... 1 E
Neill....... W.J.T. Bangor........ 1956-57. 3 E W S
Nicholson... J.J... Belfast....... 1957-58. 3 E W S
O'Neill..... J..... Larne......... 1956-57. 3 S E W
Stewart..... A..... Ballymena..... 1957.... 1 W
1960s
Blair....... R.V... Coleraine..... 1965.... 3 W S E
Clements.... D..... Larne Grammar. 1961.... 3 W S E
McIlroy..... S..... Ashfield...... 1969.... 3 W S E
McKinney.... V.J... Lurgan Sec.... 1961.... 3 W S E
Napier...... R.J... Lurgan........ 1962.... 3 W S E
Nelson...... S..... Belfast....... 1964.... 1 S
Todd........ S.J... Lisburn Tech.. 1961.... 3 W S E
1970s
Brotherston. N..... N'ards Tech... 1972.... 3 E W S
Dunlop...... G..... Orangefield... 1971.... 4 E E W S
McCreery.... D..... Ashfield HS... 1973.... 4 RI E S W
McDonald.... A..... Rathcoole HS.. 1979.... 8 RI RI E S S W W WG
McGaughey... M..... Lisnasharragh. 1976.... 1 S
McGrath..... C..... Dunlambert.... 1970.... 4 RI W E S
Nicholl..... J..... Rathcoole..... 1972.... 3 E W S
Ramsey...... P..... St Peter's, LD 1978.... 4 RI E S W
Stewart..... I..... RBAI.......... 1977.... 3 RI E W
Whiteside... N.J... Cairnmartin... 1979-80 14 RI RI E H W WG RI RI E S S W W WG
1980s
Gray........ P..... Cairnmartin... 1984.... 5 E S W Sw RI
Hughes...... M.E... St Louis GS... 1987.... Incomplete
Lomas....... S..... Coleraine..... 1988.... Incomplete
Magilton.... J..... St Mary's CBS. 1984.... 5 E S W Sw RI
O'Neill..... M..... St Louis GS... 1984.... 3 E Sw RI
1990s
Clingan..... S..... Corpus Christi 1999.... Incomplete
Feeney...... W.....
Hamill...... R..... Coleraine..... 1991.... Incomplete
Hamilton.... G.....
Healy....... D..... Down Academy.. 1995.... Incomplete
Hughes...... A.W... Cookstown High 1995.... Incomplete
Johnson..... D.M... Rathmore...... 1994.... Incomplete
2000s
Casement.... C.....
Evans....... J.G...
McCartney... G.....
O'Connor.... M.....
Tuffey...... J.....

Under-18
Player ............ School ....... Career. Caps (opposition)
1990s
Elliott..... S.....
McGibbon.... P.C...
2000s
O'Connor.... M.....

Key: E - England, S - Scotland, W - Wales, RI - Rep. of Ireland, H - Netherlands, WG, West Germany, Sw - Switzerland.