Athletics NI Youth Academy 2026/27
Athletics Northern Ireland has opened applications for the 2026/27 Youth Academy, supporting the development and progression of talented young athletes and their coaches across Northern Ireland and Ulster.
The programmes provide selected athletes with access to a range of support designed to help them progress towards their long-term performance goals, including physical preparation, physiotherapy and performance lifestyle support.
The Athletics Northern Ireland Youth Academy was first launched in September 2014 to support Northern Ireland’s most talented young athletes and their coaches. The Pre-Academy was subsequently introduced in 2018, extending the pathway to support developing athletes and coaches from across Ulster.
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the Youth Academy, an athlete must be eligible for Northern Ireland selection by fulfilling one of the following criteria:
Please refer to the relevant 2026/27 information pack for the full eligibility criteria.
APPLICATION & SELECTION
The Academy aims to support athletes and coaches who have identified their own strengths, weaknesses and areas for progress and who will benefit most from engaging with the physical preparation, physiotherapy and performance lifestyle support available. Selection will prioritise athletes who demonstrate the potential and ability to eventually represent Northern Ireland at a Senior Commonwealth Games.
Athletes will be assessed for inclusion based upon their performance standards and performance potential. The Youth Academy is designed to deliver a 4 year curriculum. All athletes must reapply each year. It is expected that for 2026-2027 there will be considerable interest from new applicants and although athletes who have completed their first year of Academy will be offered a place subject to satisfactory progress, spaces are not guaranteed for those athletes reapplying who have not shown upward progress. Limited Academy capacity means athletes across all events must be compared. During the selection process both performance and potential factors will be taken into consideration.
APPLICATION
Athlete-Coach pairs should discuss and complete the online application form. Please read the accompanying information pack which contains all essential information.
Youth Academy Application Information Pack
Fill in your application here
We recommend that athlete and coach discuss the completion of this form and parents of U18 athletes are closely involved in the application process.
If you have any questions please contact scott.paulin@athleticsni.org early in the application window.