The Pitch: What politicians don't get about need for investment in football academies 

The problem for the beautiful game is that it’s not the sport of kings or breeders or billionaires.

Horseracing got €80m from the Department of Agriculture, €20m went to the dogs, while Olympians will get an extra €6m - but football and its woefully underfunded academies got nothing, despite intensive lobbying of Ministers and much nodding and teasing back from those politicians.

The plan requires approximately €8m in public money to transform our current financially challenged EA Sports National League structure, which despite the best of intentions, sees all 26 clubs floundering.

This relatively modest investment would almost immediately achieve high category ratings under English academy CAT 2 and CAT 3 standards.

Our most talented young players no longer have the English development route – one of the best in the world right now – due to Brexit rules, where under-18s cannot move to the UK for footballing reasons.

Minister of Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne have been shown how the lack of comparable academy structures is crippling the game here.

The result is fewer players competing in the top leagues – Premier League and Championship – and somewhere above net zero in transfer fees.

Minister of State Byrne even tweeted about this need when he announced his disappointment following the defeat to England at the Aviva Stadium last month.

So what’s not to get?

Having being walked through the plan by the FAI, Thomas Byrne was initially enthusiastic, so much so he announced on ‘X’ on September 7, “unprecedented investment to help develop top-quality league facilities, alongside academy and grassroots projects (which) will help lay a foundation for the long-term growth and success of Irish football”.

He has yet to deliver on ‘academy projects’.

Away from social media, the Junior Minister then highlighted a basic lack of knowledge of the academy system when he issued what would have been withering comment towards the FAI, if it had made any sense.

“I have said we want to see an academy structure built up, but I see lately they (FAI) are blaming Brexit on the academy structure, on not having academies, because they now have the responsibility to train players."

Nobody in the FAI is blaming Brexit, it’s a reality that has got more to do with international people-trafficking laws, and yes the FAI does have responsibility to “train players” but lack the funding to do so.

Byrne and his senior Minister Catherine Martin continually hark about the funding the game receives at grassroots level, where the Department of Sport and Public Expenditure granted €45.8m of a €256m capital giveaway go to local football projects.

All well and good, but it still has nothing to do with academies – a separation politicians seem unable to get their heads around.

There is still hope that the reason for not announcing academy funding in the Budget is because it's part of a wider political plan, where elite aid will be announced as soon as a General Election is decided by Simon Harris and Micheál Martin.

But that possibility is not a racing certainty.

What does the FAI’s Academy Structure look like?

The business case laid out to various Government representatives ranges from an ask of between €7.5m to €8.25m for a system which would see vast improvements in player development, and in the medium term, would achieve returns through future transfers.

From that figure – let’s settle on €8m – approximately €1m would go towards administration of the new system.

This would largely be investment in the appointment of more FAI elite football staff, an increase in games programmes, coach and player development, and the establishment of a much-needed elite referees pool.

The remaining €7m would be shared equally with 24 clubs in the boys game including two extra girls outfits, whose academies could then be graded into three different types.

An auditing system would be introduced where the likes of Cork City, Shamrock Rovers, St Pats, Bohs and some others would form an Irish CAT 1 standard, largely based on the size of those clubs and the large amounts of investment already pumped into their academy structures.

Other clubs, which would fall into CAT 2 and CAT 3-based grading through similar criteria, would flow into a uniform system of excellence run in replica with those bigger clubs.

Areas which are largely ignored by many of the lower tier clubs (because of resources) such as strength and conditioning (S&C) programmes, dietary plans, and other vital preparations would be provided for.

What works out at approximately €275,000k (avg.) per club would also allow for the employment of vital full-time academy managers, staff whose entire focus is on the elite teams and players at each club.

What politicians need to get their heads around is that this cannot be a one-off payment, and that €8m must be factored into annual investments – the Government can do this for horseracing through legislation, so why not football?

How Irish clubs will rate if money is invested 

Once up and running and successfully implemented, the ambition is that Ireland will have academies which finally compare to international standards aiming to sit around a CAT 2 standard in England, with those at the lower end a CAT 3.

We will never match the leading English CAT 1 clubs, the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Brighton, but the plan is aiming to sit somewhere around the likes of a QPR or a Burnley, and above the English CAT 3 standard.

David Courell is certainly ambitious, his success in achieving the top job in Irish football last week demonstrates a steeliness and determination, and now is his time to be bold.

Part of that boldness must be to drag the FAI out from under the yoke of Government, which yes, bailed out the association in the post-Delaney era through many millions of annual investment.

But the time for bowing and scraping is over, football cannot continue to be some kind of emotional support lapdog for politicians, and a political system which ultimately presided over the 2019 collapse of the FAI.

The de-facto state-ownership of the game must end with Courell pushing politics back in its rightful place, no longer allowing it to wag the dog.

How much will Lions earn from profit share?

The big number missing from the British & Irish Lions announcement this week - of a new player agreement which will see those selected for the Tour to Australia next year benefit from a profit share model - was ‘how much?’ The creation of a new partnership model will see a portion of distributable profits shared between players.

The move is further emphasis of the growth of player power, where even preparations and match scheduling will be dictated by squad members.

We’ve asked the British and Irish Lions for more specifics around its financial model which we will examine in the coming weeks.

Simon Keogh, Rugby Players Ireland CEO, even thanked “The British & Irish Lions for their honesty, transparency, and genuine consideration of the players’ voice”.

“As a result, I believe that we have reached an agreement that is both fair and reflective of the strong collaboration between all stakeholders in rugby."

Peter O’Mahony, Ireland men’s team representative said: "This agreement recognises the role players play across the Lions Tour, both on and off the field. It’s great to see a commitment to ensuring everyone benefits from the success of each Tour."