Northern Ireland Schoolboy squads announced for U16 and U18 games against Australia

Good luck to South Eastern Regional College (SERC) Level 3 90-credit Diploma in Sport student, Jake Corbett as he prepares to play Australia for the Northern Ireland Schoolboy International U18 squad.

The match will take place Tuesday 22 January at Inver Park in Larne.  

Jake was selected to play for the Northern Ireland Under 18 Schoolboys team after a series of rigorous trials. The team is run by Northern Ireland Schools’ Football Association with support from the Irish Football Association. The Northern Ireland Schoolboy Squad compete mainly in the Centenary Shield, however the under-18 schoolboys’ side also competes regularly in other minor tournaments and friendly matches.

Jake’s talent has led him to play for a range of clubs including Dromore Amateurs, Banbridge Town, Lisburn Distillery and the Crusaders Football Club. He recently moved with his manager to play for Linfield Under 20s. At just 17, this shows how dedicated and passionate he is about the sport.

Jake, who will be playing midfielder at Tuesdays match, said, “I am very excited about representing SERC in the upcoming match. It will be a tough match against a team like Australia, but myself and my teammates have trained and worked hard in preparation for this match, so I am eager to see the outcome.

“This friendly match against Australia will act as a great warm-up match for our team before we compete in the Centenary Shield which will be taking place this spring.”

Originally from Dromore and having previously attended Dromore High School, Jake made the decision to come to SERC after completing his GCSEs. Whilst researching other alternatives to completing his A-Levels at his secondary school, Jake heard about SERC.

He attended an open day offered at SERC where he got advice on Further Education courses which would suit his needs and future career plans. Jake is now half way through his first year at SERC.

Speaking on making the decision to come to SERC, Jake said, “Coming to SERC has given me an opportunity to specialise in an area that I am passionate about. I am a practical learner, so I like that there is a balance between practical and theoretical work on my course.

“My tutors and the top of the range sporting equipment and facilities offered by SERC means that I am getting great experience that I can fit around my training needs.”

Speaking on his intentions for when he finished his course, Jake said, “I would like to continue my career in football but my course at SERC has already opened my mind to areas of work within sport that I hadn’t considered before.”

SERC provides a wide range of full and part time courses. Visit us at our Full-time Open Day on Wednesday 6 March from 2pm – 8pm at our Bangor, Downpatrick, Lisburn and Newtownards campuses.