From School to Full

- Schools -

- Under-16 - Under-18 - 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.

Ireland Schoolboys 1934/35

The NISFA currently runs three male sides at Under-18, Under-16 and the occasionally used Under-15 levels. The Under-15 side was however the original side. 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

Honours:
Under-15/16
European School Champions: 1979
Victory Shield Winners: 2000/01
Wilkinson Sword Trophy Winners

Under-18
Centenary Shield Winners: 1996, 1998, 1999, 2005 (shared), 2009 (shared), 2011 (shared), 2013, 2017 (shared)
Celtic Cup Winners
Lynn Nicholson Trophy Winners

Centenary Shield Winners 2013

Players:
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
(capped at Under-21 level or higher)

Name	School	Year	Level
Bailie Noel	Friends	1989	U21 U23
Boyce Liam	St Mary’s CBGS Belfast	2009	Full U21
Clarke Richard D.J.	N. W. Inst. FHE	1996-97	U21
Clarke Richard	Castlederg High	2003-04	U21
Craigan Stephen	Castlereagh CFE	1994	Full B
Dickson Hugh	Downpatrick FE	2000	U21
Elliott Stuart	Ashfield	1996	Full B
Feeney Lee	Castlereagh CFE	1996	U21
Ferguson Michael	Castlereagh CFE	1997	U21
Flynn Jonathan	St Colm’s Twinbrook	2007	U21
Glendinning Ross	Glengormley HS	2011	U21
Hughes Mark	St.Pats Dungannon	2000	Full U21
Kirk Andrew	Ashfield	1996	Full U21
Magee Jonathan	Lurgan Col.	1989	U21
Mannus Alan	Wellington Col.	2000	Full U23
McAuley Gareth	B.I.F.H.E.	1998	Full B
McGibbon Patrick	St.Michael's H.S.	1992	Full B U21
McLaughlin Conor	St. Mary's C.B.G.S	2008	Full U21
McMahon Gerard	Lismore	1991-92	Full B U21
Millar Kirk	Model	2009	U21
Murtagh Conall	Aquinas	2003	U21
Nixon Colin	Regent House	1997	U21
O'Connor Michael	Corpus Christi	2004	Full B U21
O'Neill Sean	B.I.F.H.E.	2006	U21
Scullion David	St.Michael's Lurgan	2001	U21
Stewart Samuel	Portadown College	2008	U21
Ward Sean	La Salle	2002	U21
Waterworth Andrew	St. Colmcilles	2004	U21
Weir Robbie	Monkstown	2005	B U21
Winchester Carl	Corpus Christi	2010	Full U21
Winchester Jude	Corpus Christi	2011	U21

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

The team that drew 0-0 with Brazil, 21st March 1988

Links:

NISFA Website

NISFA Records / Records

Schools Association Football International Board
Ballymena U-16 Tournament