Aaron Hughes admits one of his priorities as Irish FA technical director will be to advance the progress of a new national training centre for Northern Ireland football.
The IFA has been pushing for a state-of-the-art facility for a number of years, with the project a key component of the association's 2022-27 corporate strategy roadmap.
Northern Ireland legend Hughes has been involved in talks surrounding the centre and is confident of it being delivered, but when that happens remains uncertain.
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“I have been quite involved in the process. It was one of the main things I was involved in during my part-time consultancy role. It was one of the main projects," he said.
“We are working on it. It will happen because it has to happen. I think because it was in the last strategy and it didn’t quite get realised and it runs into this strategy, and inevitably you get questions about whether or not it will happen."
Hughes added: “We desperately need an indoor facility, a top indoor facility. These are the things we want to bring into our national training centre and then we can have more control and deliver the standards we want.
“You can’t ask a player to deliver standards if we can’t deliver them ourselves."
Hughes also admits the ongoing impasse over government funding for sports facilities here has been a major frustration.
The sub-regional stadia programme remains in limbo amid a non-running Executive, leaving many clubs operating within run-down facilities.
"I am not a politician so I won't get into the politics of it, but I look at it purely from the point of view that clubs are desperate for funding," he added.
"They want to improve their facilities, not just with a view of how it directly links into international football, because for some the level is where they are.
"But it is to make sure that they can maximise their potential at that level and get the most out of the game.
"They can provide a good facility for the teams that use it, and a lot of these facilities are community hubs.They can have a massive impact on communities, beyond sport.
"So there is a huge need for funding to come in, and we will keep our fingers crossed for a resolution."
Hughes' new all-encompassing role will see him work with Northern Ireland's senior teams alongside grassroots, small-sided games and "everything in between".
Asked about targets, he said: "The obvious one is how do we give our teams the best chance to qualify for tournaments.
"We have to make sure that young players are coming through.
"If we can be sitting here in a better place in five years' time, and an even better place in 10 years' time, would be my main aim."
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