The head of League of Ireland academy development, Will Clarke, caused a stir last month with a stark presentation about the state of play in Ireland, pointing out how the game here lags behind Europe in terms of staffing and resources with Brexit putting full responsibility for player production in the hands of clubs here.
Key stats included that the LOI possessed just 10 full-time academy staff, whereas a similar sized country, Croatia, has 190 people working in that area. Research highlighted that Irish players in the U-17 bracket are on the training pitch for 450 fewer minutes per week than counterparts at the lowest rung of the league ladder in the UK.
His view is that a figure of €10m per year is required to introduce a functioning system, double the funding that’s in place right now with the majority coming from UEFA, and the hope is that the state will be able to make some contribution.
A submission was made to the government last November but there were mixed messages around the extent to which any talks had progressed.
However, Fine Gael TD Michael Ring has picked up the baton and organised a Wednesday lunchtime session with Clarke and assistant director of football Shane Robinson set to present on the topic to TDs and Senators who show up.
LOI clubs have been urged to contact their local representatives to ask them to attend, with Treaty United CEO Ciara McCormack indicating on social media on Tuesday night that there had been a positive response from politicians in the south-west.
It’s understood that Ring, a former Minister for Sport, first became aware of the gravity of the academy funding situation when the FAI held a meeting in Mayo – his constituency – with regard to plans to introduce a League of Ireland team to the region.
Then Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in 2021 that the government would be open to helping in the area and there were eyebrows raised when it was confirmed that it took the FAI more than two years to actually submit a plan
But there is now the hope that Wednesday’s event will allow the FAI to get their message directly across in an election year.
“Football is one of Ireland’s most popular sports but according to various UEFA and FIFA reports, the development of our very best young players lags behind other similarly sized nations,” said Ring, in the note sent to TDs and senators that was seen by the Irish Independent.
“There is a viable path for the development of a football industry in Ireland but that requires an initial investment to kick start that industry and more importantly ensure that Irish boys and girls are afforded the same opportunity as their European counterparts to fulfil their true potential on and off the pitch
“Come along and meet representatives of the League of Ireland Department. The future is bright for football in Ireland, but action is needed.”
