{"id":290690,"date":"2025-07-25T13:29:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T13:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/290690\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T13:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T13:29:10","slug":"northern-ireland-prospect-joel-kerr-ready-for-new-chapter-in-claret-and-blue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/290690\/","title":{"rendered":"Northern Ireland prospect Joel Kerr ready for new chapter in Claret and Blue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having signed his full-time scholarship with West Ham United<\/strong><\/a> earlier this month, Northern Ireland youth international Joel Kerr<\/strong> is ready to make a strong impression in Claret and Blue.<\/p>\n

Joining from NIFL Premiership side Glentoran\u2019s Academy, where he played consistently above his age group since joining in 2020, Kerr has also made a name for himself in Gaelic Football, a sport that he has combined with football ever since he started kicking a ball at age six. In fact, the 16-year-old made headlines last season as the standout player for County Tyrone, picking up the Player of the Match award in his side\u2019s victory over Cavan as they claimed the Ulster Crown.<\/p>\n

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Now committed full-time to football, Kerr has joined up with Lauris Coggin\u2019s U18s for pre-season and is already relishing the new challenge. He travelled with the squad to York earlier this month for a double-header against Leeds United and Salford City, where the young Hammers produced two encouraging performances, beating Leeds 6-2 before coming from two goals down to defeat Salford 4-2.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed settling into life in east London,\u201d Kerr reflected. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve settled in quite well with the group, and they\u2019ve been very welcoming. The training\u2019s been hard but enjoyable!<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trip to York went well. As a team, I thought we performed decently in both games. There\u2019s still plenty we need to work on, of course, but we\u2019re heading in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Next up for Kerr and the new-look U18s squad on the pre-season schedule is a fixture against U18 Premier League Cup semi-finalists Liverpool on Saturday at St. George\u2019s Park, before Coggin\u2019s side turn their attention to the NextGen Cup in Prague<\/strong><\/a>, where they will face SK Slavia Prague and FC Midtjylland in Group B.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to the tournament in Czechia and reflecting on his relationship with his new coaching staff, Kerr continued: \u201cIt\u2019s been great getting to know them. They’re very open to talk to if you need to know any information, and just the detail they give you on a day-to-day basis\u00a0to try and help you and improve you as a player\u00a0is very good.\u00a0They’re easy to talk to, so that makes it easier.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs for the NextGen Cup, as a team, we\u2019re really excited. It’s a tournament, so hopefully we can get a bit of silverware\u00a0and start the year off strong!\u201d<\/p>\n

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