AIDAN FORKER will be cheered on by a loving family when he looks to captain Armagh to Sam Maguire on Sunday.
The Orchard County will aim to get their hands on the All-Ireland title when they face Galway in the final at Croke Park.
They will be led out by Aidan Forker, who was handed the captaincy in January, succeeding 2023 joint-skippers Rian O’Neil and Aidan Nugent.
A win for Kieran McGeeney’s men will represent the culmination of a storied career for the Maghery man, who went from a soccer hopeful to Armagh stalwart.
Here, SunSport takes a look at the man behind the orange jersey.
How old is Aidan Forker?
Aidan Forker was born on April 6, 1992, making him 32-years-old.
Is he married?
Forker has been married to Eimear Skelton since December 2019, having met when they were kids.
They first met when they were in secondary school, and were just 14/15 years of age.
The happy couple have been together ever since, tying the knot in Donegal in December 2019 surrounded by the friends, family, and loved ones.
Do they have kids?
Aidan and Eimear have two kids – both sons.
Their eldest, Leo, was born in 2016 and turned eight-years-old back in June.
Their youngest, Ross, was born in 2021, also in June, and recently turned three-years-old.
Speaking to Evoke.ie, Forker revealed he would keep playing football until such time that balancing it and family would be unsustainable.
And he praised his wife for backing his sporting career from day-one.
He said: “Family is number one to me and if it comes too much or too hard to handle, then we would have a conversation as to whether it’s doable anymore.
“Thankfully Eimear supports me 100 percent in everything that I do and what it takes to try and stay at this level and hopefully continues for another wee while yet.
‘I have a very understanding wife… She comes on this journey with me. She is my biggest supporter.
“The boys are always in tow for all the games as well. It’s definitely a family unit effort with regards to me being able to play for Armagh and captain Armagh.”
How long has he been playing for Armagh?
Forker made his senior Armagh debut in 2012 under Paddy O’Rourke in 2012, but his sport of choice was very nearly completely different.
When he was 14, he spent a week on trial at Liverpool, getting an up close and personal look at the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
He went on to have trials at Tranmere Rovers and played for Dungannon Swifts, before committing to gaelic football after watching his county in Croke Park.
He told the BBC: “I showed a bit of promise when I was younger. Who’s to say I would have done anything with it?
“I’ve never regretted my decision. I’m the type of person who once they make a decision on something, they commit to it fully.
“The people I’ve met, the journey I’ve been on, it’s given me my best days for sure and given a lot of people their best days…my family, my community. You can be proud of that.”
Forker added: “”Armagh won the All-Ireland minor in 2009 and I wasn’t part of it.
“I saw what a brilliant day they had and I always vowed that if Armagh came knocking again I would never say no to them.
“The [senior] call came quite soon after that and I’ve never looked back.”