Irish FA files planning bid for Galgorm National Football Centre

The Irish FA has lodged a full planning application to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for its proposed National Football Centre at Galgorm near Ballymena, a project it is positioning as a long-term performance and participation base for the game in Northern Ireland.The facility is planned for a 50-acre site outside Cullybackey and is expected to include multiple pitches and training infrastructure, with the association targeting an opening in 2028.The Irish FA said the centre is intended to “inspire the next generation of footballers and provide a platform for excellence at every level of the game”, with a remit that spans national teams, talent development and wider community use.Irish FA technical director Aaron Hughes said: “We remain one of a small number of UEFA nations without its own national football centre.“This facility will give us somewhere we can call home, which allows us to raise standards, build our culture, and showcase our identity.“It will give young boys and girls the opportunity to literally follow in the footsteps of their heroes, as they aspire to one day wear the green shirt.“And, crucially, it will give our national teams’, senior to underage, men’s, women’s, boys, and girls, an elite facility to train, prepare and compete on the European and world stage.”Irish FA chief operating officer Graham Fitzgerald linked the submission to a year-long engagement programme with local stakeholders, describing the planning step as the outcome of consultation and design revision.Fitzgerald said: “After our announcement last year, we have spent a significant part of 2025 engaging with stakeholders during the pre-application community consultation sessions to advance the planning process and make necessary revisions.“We have engaged, listened to subsequent feedback all of which has led us to this milestone moment which will allow us to build, train and compete with confidence.”The Irish FA said the project includes a community pitch, which it believes will help address growing demand for pitch capacity in the wider area, as the association seeks to demonstrate clear local benefit alongside elite use.Galgorm Collection chief executive Colin Johnston positioned the scheme as a partnership play that ties the area’s hospitality profile to a national sporting asset.Johnston said: “This significant step forward, marked by the submission of the planning application, reflects the strength of partnership between two major global brands united by a shared commitment to excellence.“As a local employer, we see first-hand the positive impact that sport can have in terms of fostering teamwork, resilience and confidence among young people.”“We’re proud to help shape the long-term future of football in Northern Ireland by playing a key role in creating a facility that will drive performance for our national teams while supporting sustainable growth at every level of the game.”The next milestone is the council planning process, which will determine the project’s timeline and whether the Irish FA can move from design and consultation into delivery against its 2028 target.