Glentoran Football Club is delighted to confirm that talented young defender Callan Farley has signed a contract extension that will see him remain at the club until the end of the 2025/26 season.

A graduate of the Glentoran Academy and the Club’s Elite Scholarship Programme, the 19-year-old enjoyed a highly successful loan spell at Warrenpoint Town during the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.

He made 14 appearances for The Point and played an important role as the side lifted the NIFL Premier Intermediate League title and secured promotion back to the NIFL Championship.

A composed and versatile defender, Farley initially broke into Glentoran’s senior squad at the end of the 2023/24 season, making his competitive debut in a 4–0 win over Crusaders and featuring in the European Play-Off semi-final against Coleraine.

Having joined the Glentoran Academy in January 2019 at the age of 12, he has gone on to captain Glentoran Seconds and serve as vice-captain for Northern Ireland’s Under-18 Schoolboys, helping them to Centenary Shield success in the 2023/24 season and earning the Manager’s Player of the Year award.

He was also named the recipient of the prestigious Frankie Wilson Award for the Northern Ireland Under-18 Schoolboys during the 2022/23 campaign

Callan Farley said: “I am really proud to sign a new contract with Glentoran. This club has been a massive part of my life since I joined the Academy at 12 years old, and it means a lot to extend my future here.

“The loan to Warrenpoint was a brilliant experience. I played regularly in a tough and competitive league, and I am grateful to the staff there for helping me develop. To win the title and help the club get promoted made it even more special.

“Now I want to build on that momentum and show Declan and his coaching staff that I’m ready to play more regularly for the first team. I have had a taste of senior football at Glentoran and I know what the standards are. My focus now is to keep working hard throughout pre-season and take that next step to earn my place in the first team.”

Declan Devine, Glentoran First Team Manager, said: “Callan is a player with an outstanding attitude and a real willingness to do whatever it takes to represent this club. On top of that, he is a very talented footballer. He has come through our Academy and showed last season that he can compete in a demanding senior environment.

“His loan spell at Warrenpoint was a real success. It gave him exactly what he needed with regular football and the chance to play in meaningful games as he helped them win the NIFL Premier Intermediate League title

“He has already shown he can step into our first team and he has the personality, work ethic and hunger we want in this squad. This contract gives him a platform to keep pushing forward and we are excited to see how he continues to develop in the year ahead.”

Farley becomes the latest Academy graduate to sign a new contract with the club this summer, following Charlie Lindsay, Jude Johnson, Ciaran Rogers Duffy and Cal Weatherup, as manager Declan Devine continues to show faith in the club’s youth system while shaping his squad for the 2025/26 campaign.

Paul Millar, Glentoran’s Sporting Director added: “The loan move to Warrenpoint has done Callan the world of good. He played regularly in a competitive environment, handled the pressure of a title challenge, and returned with more confidence and maturity.

“He has impressed Declan and the coaching staff throughout pre-season and this new contract is recognition of the progress he has made. It gives him the platform to kick on and push for regular minutes in the first team next season.

“Callan is another excellent example of the Academy pathway working as it should. Alongside Jude Johnson, Ciaran Rogers Duffy and Cal Weatherup, he is part of a group of young players who have signed new contracts and are now stepping up and challenging for senior football. We are proud of how far he has come and excited to see what is next for him.”