Northern Ireland Men’s Futsal Squad Announcement: Home Friendlies and European Qualifiers

Interim Coach Stuart Cook and Captain Adam Barr Share Insights Ahead of Futsal Team’s Exciting Fixture Schedule

The Northern Ireland men’s futsal team has unveiled its roster for two upcoming home friendlies against San Marino later this month, as well as European qualifiers scheduled in Cyprus in April.

(Main picture source: Irish Football Association)

The friendly matches will take place at Newry Leisure Centre on Saturday, March 23 (kickoff at 15:00), and Sunday, March 24 (kickoff at 11:00). Admission to both games is free.

These matches mark the team’s first home futsal internationals since January 2020, prior to the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Following the friendlies, the Northern Ireland squad will journey to Cyprus next month to participate in Group A of the UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 Preliminary Qualifiers. Scheduled matches include encounters against Andorra on Tuesday, April 9 (kickoff at 15:30 local time), Cyprus on Wednesday, April 10 (kickoff at 11:00 local time), and Estonia on Friday, April 12 (kickoff at 15:30 local time).

Captain Adam Barr expressed the team’s eagerness for the upcoming matches, highlighting the anticipation of playing in front of a home crowd after a prolonged absence. He emphasized the squad’s confidence heading into the qualification games, viewing them as a historic opportunity for Northern Ireland futsal.

Stuart Cook, currently leading the squad on an interim basis, emphasized the team’s readiness for the challenges ahead, citing a well-rounded mix of experience and youth within the group. Cook, with an illustrious international futsal career with England, expressed excitement about the forthcoming fixtures and the opportunity to guide the team through this crucial period.

The interim head coach also conveyed his belief in the squad’s potential to excel in the preliminary fixtures, setting the objective of securing qualification through this stage for the first time.

The squad lineup includes:

Goalkeepers: Matthew McErlain (Sparta Belfast Futsal Club), Philip Irvine (World United Futsal Club).

Defenders: Adam Barr (Bolton Futsal Club), Darius Roohi (Sparta Belfast Futsal Club).

Wingers: Caolan Dobney (Loughborough Students Futsal Club), Conor Kernohan (Bolton Futsal Club), Danny Stapleton (Manchester Futsal Club), Declan Starrs (Bloomsbury Futsal Club), John Gibson (Sparta Belfast Futsal Club), Josh Lowry (Sparta Belfast Futsal Club), Ryan McMenemy (Sparta Belfast Futsal Club), Scott Gunn (Bolton Futsal Club).

Pivots: Chris Donnelly (Futsal Escocia), Connor Millar (Bloomsbury Futsal Club).

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