Michael O’Neill has backed the Irish Football Association’s plans for a national training centre at Galgorm, saying he is “certainly hopeful” the facility can be operational by 2028 despite objections from nearby residents.
The proposed centre is planned for a site beside the Galgorm Resort, outside Ballymena, and is intended to provide high-quality pitches and modern training facilities for Northern Ireland’s international teams.
The IFA confirmed its intention to continue with the project last month, while acknowledging concerns raised during consultation and saying it hoped to mitigate them where possible.
O’Neill, who was brought up in Ballymena, believes the development could bring lasting benefits to the town as well as strengthening football across Northern Ireland.
“It’s important that you do have a national training centre that kids are used to coming to from a young age,” he told BBC Sport NI’s Stephen Watson.
“It’s an elite facility that shows the intent from the association as they continue to develop players.”
The Northern Ireland manager said the centre would support more than just the senior men’s side, highlighting its potential role in the development of the country’s under-age teams and women’s football.
“We have a young team at the minute, which we’ve developed through the JD academy and it’s something we should be very proud of,” he said.
“But the national training centre is importantly to the development not just of the senior team but the underage teams and the women’s team.”
The IFA began a pre-application community consultation for the Galgorm project as part of preparations for a major planning submission. The proposed site lies between Cullybackey and Ballymena, close to the resort.
O’Neill said he was not responsible for approving the scheme but hoped the plans would continue to advance.
“I’m certainly hopeful, I’m not in a position of granting authority on these things but it would be good for the town,” he said. “It can only enhance the town and hopefully the project continues to progress.”
