Despite being a member of the 1% club and signing his first professional contract with Premier
League giants Arsenal, Kilrea native Ceadach O’Neill holds a special place in his heart for his
early sporting days, and the steps he took to get to where he is now.
Having been with Arsenal for over a year now, he hasn’t always had the luxury of training with
multi-million pound equipment, in fact, his soccer journey begins far closer to home than you
might think.
“My first club was with Ballymoney United when I was six or seven years old. I trained every
Saturday in Coleraine University and loved every second of it, however that wasn’t even my
introduction to sports.”
Ceadach comes from a long line of GAA greats, being the son,
grandson and nephew of some of Derry GAA’s finest players
success was lined out for him from the start.
“My first love was GAA, I think I started around 4 or 5 playing for my local club Kilrea. Both my
uncles played for Derry at the time, and they were people I would have looked up to.”
Ceadach credits his time spent playing underage GAA, to the player he has become today.
“Without a doubt GAA has helped me, especially with the basics of being an athlete. GAA is a lot
more physical, so I credit my speed and power to my youth playing GAA”
His fondly remembered GAA days came to an end at the age
of 14, when he decided to take his soccer seriously. By this
time, he had been scouted by Linfield, one of the biggest
clubs in the country, as well as having to move schools to
Belfast in order to train with Linfield and Northern Ireland.
“At the time it was hard yeah, leaving Kilrea and my school, but my friends were great, always
keeping in touch and keeping me up to date with the business back at home”
Although leaving home was hard, it was necessary. Ceadach had trials with Liverpool and
Southampton, impressive in both clubs’ fixtures, and gaining the attention of his boyhood club,
Arsenal.
“When I heard Arsenal were looking at me, I was a bit shocked. My dad is an Arsenal fan and so
am I, so it was surreal that they were even considering me.”
In June 2024, Ceadach’s dream came true, putting pen to paper for
the first time at only 16 years old to sign for Arsenal.
Since then, Ceadach hasn’t looked back. Ceadach admits the
challenge of moving to London was daunting, however, his recent
performances would suggest he fits in perfectly.
“I have scored 6 goals in 5 games for the under 18s, and also made my debut for the u21s and
Northern Ireland u21s. I’m really enjoying my football.”
