Inspired by Glentoran's establishment of a football academy in Sunyani, Ghana, and with the support of club historian, Sam Robinson, former club Chairman, Stafford Reynolds, and former player Harry Mc Cue, a team was established in Dublin in 2007.
The team was entered into the North Dublin Schools League for the season 2008. The mutual understanding with Glentoran was to last for four years with the Glens supplying the kits, equipment, and technical support. Two coaches were appointed, former Super Eagle, James Igwilo and Zuby Ufoh. The manager was Ken Mc Cue, a Cultural Planner along with Rowan Windvogel, Physiotherapist and Medical Doctor, Koogan Moodley. The team, made up of players from migrant Diaspora backgrounds swept the boards at U17 and U18 leagues along with winning the Ronnie Bradshaw League Cup in 2011.
The majority of the players were recruited from street football with the training group of forty academy trainees supplying a team of young boys from South Africa, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Lithuania, Serbia, Poland, Kazakhstan, Angola, and Romania, On the winding up of the team, players were transferred to league clubs in the Irish Republic. Four were sent for trials with Glentoran. One signed with Sheffield FC, two players went to France and a goalkeeper became an underage international for Lithuania. Interestingly, the team was not supported by clubs in the League of Ireland with the Football Association of Ireland attempted to have the team scrapped 'as there were two many Blacks signed'. The progress of the club was documented by the Swiss-Italian Ethnographer, Max Mauro in his book, 'A Team Like No Other: the racialized position of Insaka FC in Irish schoolboy football' (Routledge 2013). The team faced a double tragedy with the racist murder of academy trainee, Toyosi Shittabey in 2010 and the Garda killing of former player, George Nkencho in 2020.
In 2012, research was carried out by Ken Mc Cue and James Igwilo to examine the feasibility of transferring the Insaka-Glentoran model to Igwilo's home state of Abia, Nigeria.
Again with support from Glentoran, kits were supplied and funding was raised through benefactors in the African Diaspora. At this stage, it was decided to establish a sports management entity based on the experience of the successful Sport in Action organisation in Zambia. The word Insaka actually means gathering place for elders and youth in the Bemba language of Zambia.
Insaka Ireland sports management Dublin Ireland was exported to Nigeria in the year 2016 and established a branch in the city of Aba Abia state.
Over 2,000 players of different age categories have been trained by Glentoran Insaka Football Academy Nigeria branch In a gap of five years.
Glentoran Insaka Football Academy Nigeria has produced seven graduated footballers who joined professional football clubs both in the Nigeria Football League NPFL and other continental leagues across Africa for example, we produced. Fabian Omaka, currently playing for Heartland FC of Owerri in NPFL, and Tochukwu Emmanuel of Enyimba FC of Aba.Gospel Ezenta of FC papilo in NNL..Gosple Ozioma of NAF FC Abuja NNL.Kelechi Isaac of El Dakhleya in the Egyptian Premier League. David Dike of Omonia FC Cyprus,
Glentoran Insaka Football Academy Nigeria branch has given few notable home-groomed coaches the opportunity to show their talents on bigger stages coaches like King Joe Akuma, Chidozie Agunwa, Okey Anene, Coach Damian Anyanwu, and coach Ebi Ogbonna.
Glentoran Insaka Football Academy of Nigeria has been a platform where youths are being taken off the street and offered a platform for development.
EVULOBI COLLINS IHEANYI.
Nigeria Branch Manager
Glentoran Insaka Football Academy.
