In an ongoing series we are highlighting the young players who are part of the JD Academy, the Irish Football Association’s elite development programme. Today Eamonn Tohill is in the spotlight…
Name: Eamonn Tohill
DOB: 13 September 2009
Position: Striker
Club: Cliftonville
School: St Malachy’s College, Belfast
Hometown: Belfast
Eamonn Tohill’s earliest memory of playing football was winning a tournament with St Mary’s at just six years old.
These days he plays his club football for Cliftonville. He loves playing for the Reds, however he notices a difference between playing for his club and playing internationally with the JD Academy.
“The intensity in training is much higher,” the striker revealed. “The most challenging part of the academy’s training schedule is having to go to the gym and training on the pitch every day.”
Despite the rigorous training involved in the set-up, Tohill has found the academy experience very enjoyable and encourages others to follow suit if given the opportunity.
“To anyone who may be interested in joining the academy, it is worth it, and it makes you a better player,” he insisted.
In addition to the graft on the pitch, the 16-year-old has appreciated the residential element of the academy. Particularly he admires the independence and self-reliance gained by living away from home.
Last month Northern Ireland’s Under-17s booked their place in the elite round of the U17 Euro 2026 qualifiers after defeating Armenia (2-1) and drawing with Cyprus (0-0) and Finland (1-1).
Tohill scored against the Armenians and he lists scoring in a Euro qualifier as a personal achievement.
However, he has bigger aspirations for his career. The striker’s goals for the coming year are to move to England as he bids to become a professional footballer and to excel in his GCSEs.
