Glentoran Football Club is delighted to announce that highly-rated forward Cal Weatherup has signed his first professional contract, committing his future to the club until the end of the 2025/26 season.
A graduate of the Glentoran Academy and a current member of the club’s Elite Scholarship Programme, the 17-year-old played a key role in the Under-16 squad that won the 2023/24 NIFL Academy League title. Last season, he helped the Colts lift the Harry Cavan Youth Cup in 2024/25 - Glentoran’s first triumph in the competition in 30 years.
Weatherup joined the Glentoran Academy in 2022 at the age of 13 years-old and his development under the guidance of the club’s coaching staff has also earned him international honours with Northern Ireland’s U18 Schoolboys.
Speaking about signing his first professional contract, Cal Weatherup said: “I have been part of the Glentoran Academy for years, so to sign my first professional contract with the club means everything to me and my family.
“Since stepping into the first team environment, training alongside top professionals like Marcus Kane, James Singleton and Joe Thomson has been outstanding. The way they prepare and carry themselves every day is something I really look up to.
“It has also been great to train and play alongside other Academy players who have made the step up, like Ciaran Rogers Duffy, Jude Johnson and James Douglas. James has been part of the first team longer than us, but all three show that if you are good enough and work hard, you will get your chance.
“My aim now is to keep improving, earn the right to represent Glentoran at first team level and get regular minutes on the pitch. Declan has been clear that if I work hard, keep developing and prove I am ready, I will get my chance. That is all I can ask for and I am ready to keep learning and give everything to take that opportunity.
Declan Devine, Glentoran First Team Manager, said: “Cal is a very exciting young player with a great attitude and a real hunger to learn. He has been outstanding at Academy level and has already shown in pre-season training that he is more than capable of stepping into the senior environment.
“His movement, sharpness in the final third and natural instinct for goal really stand out for a player of his age. He also understands that this is just the start. We have spoken about the demands of breaking into the first team and he knows that if he keeps applying himself and developing his game, the opportunity will come.
“We are delighted to have him sign his first professional contract with the club and I look forward to helping him grow as both a footballer and a person.”
Weatherup becomes the latest Academy graduate to sign a new contract with the club this summer, following Charlie Lindsay, Jude Johnson and Ciaran Rogers-Duffy, as manager Declan Devine continues to shape his squad for the 2025/26 campaign, as well as provide a pathway into senior football for Glentoran’s emerging academy talent.
Paul Millar, Glentoran Sporting Director, added: “Cal is another excellent example of the pathway we are building from Academy football to the first team. He has come through our youth system with the right attitude, performed consistently and now has the opportunity to take the next step in his development.
“He brings real energy and intelligence to the final third and has demonstrated a natural eye for goal at Academy level. We hope he continues to push on through pre-season and into the new campaign. If he maintains his work ethic and performs at the level we know he is capable of, he will earn the right to be part of the first team group.
“Cal’s progression reflects the club’s ongoing investment in identifying and supporting young talent and our commitment to providing a clear platform for players to progress into senior football.”
