'First steps' in move towards sure footing for academies
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is implementing a new structure for youth academies, funded by a €3m government grant. The initiative aims to professionalize academy roles by mandating full-time directors and heads of coaching across League of Ireland clubs.
Why it matters
This investment represents a significant effort to modernize Irish football infrastructure and improve the development pipeline for young players.
Around this time last year, a report painted a stark picture of just how lowly the structures of Irish youth football were languishing compared to its peers.
The takeaways from the Government-funded League of Ireland Academy Global Findings Report audit might not have been a huge surprise to those at the coalface of the game.
But nonetheless many of its findings were sobering.
For example, at that time, only 46% of LOI clubs employed a full-time academy director, compared to 60% of clubs in countries ranked 51-100 in the men's and women's FIFA rankings. Meanwhile, 4% had a full-time head of coaching, compared to 46% in other lower-ranked associations.
Among the recommendations in the report was a call to create full-time roles within academy set-ups.
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