Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Bryan Keane/INPHO 'We’re time critical'- FAI detail refined plans for €8m League of Ireland academy funding Association says it will submit details to Government by August with aim of securing money in October’s Budget. 5.04pm, 9 Apr 2025 Share options David Sneyd THE FAI HAVE confirmed that they will provide a refined plan to Government in August for funding of up to €8 million per year on a phased basis for League of Ireland academies. Academy development manager Will Clarke said that State support would be for an 11-year period with investment tapering off from 2030. The aim is to present the plan to Government officials by 15 August with the aim of securing money as part of October’s Budget ahead of the 2026 season. There had been concern and frustration after new Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan stated that funding was “not imminent” shortly after taking office earlier this year. Clarke admitted it is a “time critical” situation to present their revised proposal, with the Government already committing to funding the first phase of a “warts and all” independent audit of all 26 academies in the country to “validate the ask” and assess if “this level funding needed.” A new League of Ireland academy executive is also set to be appointed in the coming weeks, as well as finalising the procurement process for the auditors. Within a month of that there will be “boots on the ground” with the audit, according to Clarke, and once that independent assessment has been made there will be ongoing dialogue between the FAI, the Department for Sport and Sport Ireland ahead of the submission to Government in August. Clarke also confirmed that League of Ireland clubs have been provided with information on the new proposal and admitted a lack of communication previously has caused frustration. Advertisement Members of the Premier Clubs Alliance, the representative body of the 10 topflight teams, reacted angrily after learning of plans for a separate centralised coaching scheme from the FAI. They had hoped to start camps with 250 of the country’s best players, aged between 14 to 17, during school holidays from the start of the upcoming Easter break. Clubs said they would not release their players and that plan has now been shelved. “It won’t start until everybody is happy with it,” Clarke said. “The key to this going forward is communication. When you communicate and you keep people in the loop and let them know what’s going on, when you feed back into them, it’s probably reasonable,” Clarke said. “We all want the same thing here and I think we’re all on board. They know we need to get this right because, look, this can’t fail. It’s more important that we lay solid foundations in place and this stands the test of time as opposed to thinking ‘do you know what? We’re under pressure here from the clubs, we don’t want to lose them or we’re under pressure from the media’. That is important but it’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is that we get this right. “We’ve definitely made a commitment now in terms of more regular communication and better communication with clubs. We’ve given the clubs that commitment. Yesterday we had a NLC (National League Committee) and gave them all the updates in relation to the meetings last week with Sport Ireland, the Minister and his department. The proposal was shared recently with the clubs. We’ve definitely given a firm commitment that the communication is more regular and keep them involved in the process but also for those who aren’t involved directly in the process we keep them briefed.” Clarke highlighted the “shrinking” player pool with the number of Irish players aged 16 to 18 now signed to professional contracts. There are nine contracted to League of Ireland clubs with that number only rising to 20 when you take in the Britain and Europe. The impact of Brexit – which means Irish players under 18 cannot leave for Britain – has been stark as that figure was in the region of 100 before 2020. That is what went some way to informing the assessment of what will happen if the FAI cannot securing the funding required. “It’s more to do with the actual player pool. That’s the big issue. It’s shrinking year on year. That, to be honest with you, is the issue,” Clarke said. “For us to be successful at senior international level, ultimately the challenge and problem we are trying to solve is how to get 35 players playing in the top five leagues in Europe on average 1,400 minutes a season? “That is what we are trying to address here. That will give us the best chance of success at senior international level.” During the 2024 Premier Division season, for example, the number of minutes played by Irish-eligible players fell by 4.7% to 43,106 compared to 2023. “We’re going to continue to struggle, we’re going to basically regress,” Clarke answered to a question about what would happen if funding was not secured. “That’s being honest. Even if you look at the senior international team, the impact of Brexit hasn’t even reached there [yet]. “To be fair to all of the parties that we met and all of the politicians, when we lay out the issues as we see them and the problems that we’re facing and looking into, there is nobody that would disagree that something needs to be done in that regard. We’re just focused on making that happen. If funding doesn’t materialise then we are just going to continue to regress. It’s as simple as that.” Clarke explained some of the finer details of the funding requirements, detailing how informative meetings with Sport Ireland helped shape some of the thinking. While €8m per year is the headline figure, that is not being sought each year but rather the top-end amount after a phased initial injection of cash – a figure yet to be agreed upon – followed by a tapering off from 2030. The second element of the audit process will then determine where clubs fall in the categorisation of their academy. The three status levels, in ascending order, are Foundation, Development, Academy – with money received reflecting the level. Of that €8m, 81% will go towards human resources at clubs to ensure full-time staff and coaches can be employed. Related Reads Grassroots says FAI has 'uncorked overwhelming anger and created an atmosphere impossible to work in' Canham 'hopes' academy funding comes this year, plays down Ward's Late Late Packie Bonner claim FAI CEO says League of Ireland academies will 'define next generation' of Ireland team Improving facilities is one of the core aspects of FAI chief football officer Marc Canham’s broader Football Pathways Plan, whereas the focus of this proposal is on creating jobs that will also deliver back to the Exchequer. “It’s a hard deadline. We’re time critical here,” Clarke said. “We’re trying to build a framework and how roll it out. Conversations have moved on from us last May, that was us saying we need help, we need your support. Now, as meetings have happened, the meetings have become more constructive. “To be fair to the Department, we have asked for their help, asked for advice and they’ve been forthcoming. We’re at a stage now where we’re leaving these meetings with tangible actions that we have to [meet]. We’re moving. “We get it that people are frustrated, we’re all frustrated, but to be fair to the Government this is effectively a new fund. We’re not tapping into an existing fund. The best advice from Sport Ireland was in relation to taking our time, set it up properly and make sure it stands test of time rather than rushing in. “Think back to some of the successful teams we’ve had in the past, we’re all desperate for those days to return and have successful men’s and women’s teams. Everybody is on the same page in terms of what we want out of this and it’s just case of how we bring it to life and that we deliver on it and secure the funding.” David Sneyd Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “'We’re time critical'- FAI detail refined plans for €8m League of Ireland academy funding”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “'We’re time critical'- FAI detail refined plans for €8m League of Ireland academy funding”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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