The Northern Ireland national under-23 football team is an association football team representing Northern Ireland featuring footballers playing in the Irish League. The team first played at this level in 2007 when entering the International Challenge Trophy for national semi-professional Under-23 sides, though previously the Northern Ireland Under-23 team offered a recognised stepping stone for all young players hoping to progress to the full Northern Ireland side.
| Nickname(s) | Green & White Army, Norn Iron | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Irish Football Association | ||
| Head coach | Ronnie McFall | ||
| Home stadium | Various | ||
| |||
The Original Under-23s
The original Northern Ireland Under-23 side played a total of ten matches, all but three in the 1960s.[1] Players to have stepped up from the Under-23 side to full international level include Pat Jennings, Bryan Hamilton, Neil Lennon and Sammy Clingan.
Results
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-02-1962 | Wales | Windsor Park, Belfast | Drew 0–0 | |
| 27-02-1963 | Wales | Vetch Field, Swansea | Lost 1–5 | Jimmy McLaughlin |
| 05-02-1964 | Wales | Windsor Park, Belfast | Drew 3–3 | Willie Irvine (2), Jimmy McLaughlin |
| 10-02-1965 | Wales | Ninian Park, Cardiff | Drew 2–2 | Willie Irvine, Dave Clements |
| 22-02-1967 | Wales | Windsor Park, Belfast | Won 2–1 | Vic McKinney (2) |
| 20-03-1968 | Wales | Vetch Field, Swansea | Won 1–0 | Shaun Dunlop |
| 26-03-1969 | Italy | Communale Stadium, Brescia | Lost 1–2 | Brendan Mullan |
| 11-04-1989 | Republic of Ireland | Dalymount Park, Dublin | Lost 0–3 | |
| 15-05-1990 | Republic of Ireland | Shamrock Park, Portadown | Lost 2–3 | Stephen McBride, John Devine |
| 27-04-2004 | Serbia & Montenegro | Mourneview Park, Lurgan | Drew 0–0 | (billed an Under 21–23 team)[2] |
The New Under-23s
The Irish FA announced on 2 October 2007 that they would be entering a side in the International Challenge Trophy.[3] The team was selected only from players playing in the IFA Premiership and as such it is also a successor to the Irish League representative team. For the 2007–09 International Challenge Trophy the team was managed by Linfield's David Jeffrey and for the 2009-11 International Challenge Trophy by Portadown's Ronnie McFall. On both occasions Northern Ireland failed to make it beyond the group stage, and have not entered a team since.
2007–09 International Challenge Trophy
 Belgium U-23 | 2–1 |  Northern Ireland U-23 |
|---|---|---|
| 58 Hubert 85 Lutun | (Report) | 46 Peter Thompson |
| Northern Ireland U-23 | 0–1 |  Republic of Ireland U-23 |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | 88 Stephen Rice |
 Slovakia U-23 | 1–0 | Northern Ireland U-23 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Skutka | (Report) |
2009–11 International Challenge Trophy
| Northern Ireland U-23 | 2–2 |  Wales Semi Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Magee Daryl Fordyce | (Report) |
| Northern Ireland U-23 | 2–0 |  Poland U-23 |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Owens Martin Donnelly | (Report) |
 Portugal U-23 | 2–0 | Northern Ireland U-23 |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
Squad
Squad for the match against Portugal, 12 October 2010.[4] Clubs correct at time of call-up.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Chris Keenan | 27 January 1987 | Crusaders | |||
| GK | Sean O'Neill | 11 April 1988 | Dungannon Swifts | |||
| DF | Chris Ramsey | 24 May 1990 | Portadown | |||
| MF | Billy Joe Burns | 24 August 1989 | Linfield | |||
| DF | Johnny Taylor | 30 June 1988 | Glentoran | |||
| DF | Jay Magee | 4 May 1988 | 1 | Glenavon | ||
| DF | Ross Redman | 23 November 1989 | Portadown | |||
| DF | Archie Stewart | 3 December 1989 | Ballymena United | |||
| MF | Philip Lowry | 15 July 1989 | Linfield | |||
| MF | Robert Garrett | 5 May 1988 | Linfield | |||
| MF | Jamie Mulgrew | 6 May 1986 | Linfield | |||
| MF | Stuart Dallas | 19 April 1991 | Crusaders | |||
| MF | Martin Donnelly | 28 August 1988 | 1 | Crusaders | ||
| MF | Michael Carvill | 3 April 1988 | Linfield | |||
| FW | Daryl Fordyce | 2 January 1987 | 1 | Glentoran | ||
| FW | Curtis Allen | 22 February 1988 | Linfield | |||
| FW | Jordan Owens | 9 July 1989 | 1 | Crusaders | ||
| FW | Darren Boyce | 25 January 1986 | Coleraine |