Team History
Larne Youth is a cross-community charity organisation formed in 1996 and our main activities are sport orientated especially with reference to football.
Many meetings at the start were held in committee member’s houses and it was felt that to progress and diversify Larne Youth would need a clubhouse. As the Club grew it was recognised that Larne Youth would need a more permanent base if we were to fulfil our potential In December 1998 this need was addressed when we purchased a sectional building 50’ x 30’ and in agreement with the owner of Curran Business Park in Larne we redeveloped a run down corner of the yard and had the building located onto this site and then secured the area. We later purchased two other sectional buildings 30’ x 10’, one of which is used as a store and the other is used as two changing rooms.
As a club we realise that we are part of a community and society and we also put time and effort back into these and run events for the community at large, work along with disadvantage areas and children as well as disabled children. In conjunction with the North Eastern Education and Library Board we run a youth club several nights a week and also at weekends where the children can play pool, table tennis, darts, computer games and have other activities arranged for them which includes trips to various locations which has included Stormont Buildings, Go-Karting, Ice Bowl, Ten-pin Bowling, other clubs. There is also a tuck shop and hot food bar. The improvements have resulted in Larne Youth attracting young people from the wider community both boys and girls and we now offer non-playing membership.
Central to development is the development of our managers and coaches. Over the years we have encouraged managers to participate in accredited training, which has raised the coaching standard throughout the Club and indeed the Borough of Larne. We have also encouraged the development of youth players, by organising and facilitating “referee training” and “first aid” training which has helped to broaden the horizons of those involved.
Larne Youth are in a tri-party partnership with the North Eastern Education and Library Board and the Irish Football Association to try and train and field two pan disability teams to participate in soccer and compete throughout the province.
We have an ethos of continual improvement and are continually examining ways of developing and have participated in various educational courses through bodies like the North Eastern Education and Library Board. We are viewed by many as being top class with regards to grass roots soccer and have been used by other organisations as a benchmark for excellence.
We have competed since formation in the Lisburn League for youth football, which is, based about 35 miles from our location and widely accepted as the premiership of youth football in Northern Ireland and we also compete locally in the East Antrim Youth League. Our age groups for squads range from Under 10 through to Under 16 and we have recently introduced an Academy, which caters for children aged 7 to 9. This brings through our doors over 160 boys and girls each week.
Larne Youth have been successful in winning League Championships at various age groups, winning League Cup competitions and also winning open cup competitions within the leagues and independent competitions.
We have also won the NIKE Northern Ireland Championships twice, which then progressed our club to the European Finals, which were held in Italy and Belgium respectively. The club equipped themselves well at these and had some notable success over larger European Clubs. We have also won the Ulster “Lions” Championships three times in partnership with the Lions Clubs of Ireland, Larne Branch and went on to get through to the Lions all Ireland Football Final Competition, which we have made the final to twice in Dublin but as yet not winning the trophy.
Our team successes have been noticed in football circles and we have had players from Larne Youth playing for their respective counties each year, i.e. 54 with County Antrim and others who made the, County Down, County Fermanagh, Belfast and County Londonderry at eleven-a-side games and seven-a-side games. 23 players representing those counties and Larne Youth at the Milk Cup Competition at Under 14, Under 16 and Elite level, and 13 who have played in the Foyle Cup and other summer competitions at home and abroad.
In the last six years we have had eleven players signing for professional teams in England and Scotland like Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Fulham, Sunderland, Ipswich, Lincoln, Ayr United and Nottingham Forest. Throughout the local Irish League we have 25 past players who now play for Larne, Linfield, Ballymena, Crusaders, Glenavon, Lisburn Distillery, Glentoran, not to mention at least 42 former and current members who play for amateur league clubs.
On the International scene we have 11 players past and present who have played for the Northern Ireland Schoolboys, and 10 who have played for the Northern Ireland Under 16 team, the Under 17 team and Under 19 team as well as two Northern Ireland Players of the Year.
In 2006 Jeff Hughes became the first player to have went through Larne Youth and achieve a full international cap with Northern Ireland.
In late 2004 we were approached by Steve Morrow an ex Northern Ireland International and Premier League player with Arsenal to see if we could combine and provide a vehicle for Arsenal to set up a base in Northern Ireland through the Steve Morrow Soccer School, this is now a reality and we offer a facility for those chosen to progress towards the possibility of playing for Arsenal one day, in return Steve Morrow brings along specialist coaches and camps and adds to the systems that we have in place.
In the summer months from May to September we run a mini-soccer programme for children aged 5 to 16 and on top of our usual membership we have another 100 + children who come along and enjoy the fun and excitement that football brings. As well as running a week of activities usually in July each year.
Through the years Larne Youth have had associations with and continue to have associations with a wide range of groups like, Larne Borough Council, Irish Football Association and their Special Needs section, Lions charity group, North Eastern Education and Library Board, Northern Ireland Boys Football Association, Lisburn League, East Antrim League, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Larne YMCA, Roddensvale School, other local schools both Primary and Secondary, St John’s Ambulance, Larne Strategic Partnership, South Antrim Community Transport, Northern Health and Social Services Board, Seacourt Community Association.
Larne Youth feel that they are a progressive club that are continually striving to meet the needs of their members, the wider community and other associates.
