At a joint-announcement made in Belfast this morning, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Irish Football Association (IFA) presented their collective plan for bringing the European U21 Championships to the island in 2023.
An idea previously floated as a possibility, it is now felt that both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are in a position to ensure they have the necessary facilities and infrastructure in place to host the event.
As reported in the Irish Independent, IFA President David Martin spoke of his excitement at the prospect of the island playing host to such an event.
"I'm excited that we are working together to bring this top football event to our respective countries."
His FAI counterpart Donal Conway was cautious in suggesting that there remained "a lot of work to be done to formulate this bid."
With the final proposed to be played in Northern Ireland's Windsor Park, Conway referenced Belfast, Dublin, Cork, Ballymena and Limerick as potential host venues for the U21 Championships.
