Join as a player

Football for boys and girls aged 4 and up, from all over Newtownabbey and beyond. Come and see what it's like before you pay anything.

The academy's teams are for children born 2016 to 2021, and the club has older teams too. Tell us your child's birth year and we'll put you in touch with the right coach.

Free taster session

Come along, have a go, and see how your child gets on. The taster session is free, and you can decide afterwards in your own time.

Most families come to a session first and decide from there. Bring shin pads, a water bottle, a warm layer, and boots or trainers that suit the pitch. That's it.

Five young players arm in arm in front of a small goal

Training

Your coach confirms days and times when you join.

Team	Day and time	Where
2016s	Tuesday 7 to 8pm Thursday 7 to 8pm	The Valley, Cage 7 UUJ
2016 Swifts	Wednesday 7 to 8pm Thursday 8 to 9pm	The Valley, cages The Valley, Cage 4
2017s	Tuesday 7 to 8pm	The Valley, Cage 4
2018s	Tuesday 6 to 7pm	The Valley, Cage 4
2019s	Tuesday 6 to 7pm	The Valley, Cage 6
2020s	Sunday 1 to 2pm A Sunday development session, shared with the 2021s, to December. Matches start as soon as the team has a coach.	The Valley, Cage 6
2021s	Sunday 1 to 2pm A Sunday development session, shared with the 2020s, to December. Matches start as soon as the team has a coach.	The Valley, Cage 6

Where: The Valley (V36), The Valley on the map. UUJ (Ulster University at Jordanstown), UUJ on the map.

Run entirely by volunteers

Every coach, every committee member and even the chairman give their time for free. When a group is full, the answer is more coaches: one more coach opens more places, straight away.

So please register interest anyway, and if you could help, even a little, see how you could help.

Fees

Fees are different for each team and cover things like pitch hire, match fees and tournament entries. Your coach explains them when you come along, and most families come to a session first.

Kit

For the development groups, your own shirt or a yellow t-shirt is fine. League teams need the league kit. We try to get every team's kit sponsored by a local business.

The club shop (Pendle Sportswear)

Register interest

It takes about a minute, and it means the right coach can get back to you quickly. Children born 2022 or later can join the under 5s interest list.

Your name (parent or carer)

Your email

Your mobile

Your child's first name

Your child's birth year

Is your child a boy or a girl?

Has your child played for a team before?

Could you help?We're all volunteers, and every team needs a few grown-ups. You don't need to have played or coached.

How did you hear about us?

Anything else (optional)A question, or anything that would help your child settle in.

We only use what you type here to reply to you. See our privacy page for what we keep and for how long.

Virgil says: everyone starts somewhere. On your first night, a coach will pair you with a buddy from the squad. Turn up, work hard, and I'll be watching for the hardest worker.