CHARLIE FROM THE STANDS: Is the future of Irish football being starved of progression?

This week’s column is the first edition of a two-part series, focusing on how young footballers all across Ireland are being made ‘to do’ with what they have, as opposed to any opportunities being forthcoming… Buckle up.

You will have read recently about Ireland & UK winning the bid for EURO 2028, a big achievement for all entities involved and undoubtedly a moment of pride for each as well.

As part of this, the European Championships will come to the island of Ireland for the first time, with the Aviva Stadium being the rightful venue for the tournament. The Lansdowne Road venue is a state-of-the-art facility, and one of the finest structures in the country.

With Dublin being the natural inclusion in this bid, the IFA also proposed the inclusion of Belfast in the bid. And fair enough – Windsor Park is their home stadium, Belfast is their capital city and if being part of something as a proposal, then of course they should be involved when the bid is won.

But one detail that has sparked a lot of controversy in the past couple of months, is that Windsor Park isn’t the stadium that was included in the proposal. It is instead a derelict site that has been unused and left the crumble over the past few years – Antrim GAA’s Casement Park.

We all remember the Republic of Ireland playing at Croke Park for a couple of years when the Aviva was under construction. Even more recently, former League of Ireland side Limerick FC played their home ties at Munster Rugby’s Thomond Park. But the difference was – both of these stadiums were already developed and operational.

Casement Park isn’t, and won’t be until there is huge investment. And guess what? There appears to be just that.

The Irish Government have handed over a whopping €50m to assist in the redevelopment of the stadium. Whilst there was notable backlash around this and many being left either confused or bemused, it was the League of Ireland community that perhaps felt hardest done by.

For years, the Irish Government has neglected the domestic game, while the FAI put the league and its clubs through the wringer, year after year after year. Expecting it and allowing it to fend for itself, the league appeared to be no more than an unwanted necessity – with investment instead going towards the grassroots of Irish football and the development of local leagues.

The outcome of this can be seen just across the border in nearby Inishowen, where around 90% of local clubs own their own pitches and facilities, and fine ones at that. In fact, most of these clubs have more assets than their senior counterparts.

There will be people in football circles that will claim the money would have been wasted by League of Ireland sides on transfer fees, agents fees and wages. And in truth, that might have been the case. The ebbs and flows of having to chase success to maintain operations has seen many clubs die and be reborn, and other clubs hang in there by the skin of their teeth. Shoestring budgets and no sustainability plans meant that clubs were operating on 12 month plans. Now, it is encouraging to see so many of the current clubs have a clear strategic vision buoyed by long-term thinking, sustainability and security for all parties.

So, what does the League of Ireland need? What does it deserve? How could it be funded?

For me, this has to be broken down into three sections: 1. Facilities; 2. Academies; 3. Women’s game

There will always be the argument over the GAA getting more funding that football, and in truth, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

Last year, the GAA and its players association, the GPA, received €8.2m in direct pass-through Government grant funding. This was part of a new four-year GAA/GPA agreement which will see the government guarantee monies for the provision of player development, education, and health programmes, along with the added bonus of career advice and future pathway planning for players.

Imagine if a similar deal was agreed for the League of Ireland; an agreement with the Government which meant they received €8.2m, which would be subsequently distributed through the FAI, with a stipulation that it would be spent on Academies and the development of the Women’s game. That money could be used to create a professional environment for the Women’s National League, whilst allowing clubs to hire full-time staff to run League of Ireland academies. Essentially, this would be start-up funding and after four years, clubs would be expected to have developed a sustainable approach to this in order to access further funding.

The case study within the league is already there. From 2018-2023, St Pat’s generated a profit of €2m from its academy. For the women’s game, look at the national interest that came with the World Cup campaign and the subsequent increase in participation figures and interest in the WNT. Across the water, the recent 65,000 attendance at the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham represents the growth of interest in recent years.

So it begs the question – why wouldn’t the Government provide funding? We’ll go into that next week…

SHELS SUPERB AND DUNDALK'S DISMAY

What a weekend of action in the League of Ireland. Eight games, 23 goals, two televised games and huge crowds all round – it is safe to say that the Greatest league in the World was in full flow.

Damien Duff’s Shelbourne were the biggest winner of the double game-week, with back-to-back wins which have them sitting comfortably at the top of the Premier Division table for the first time in 12 years. Duff’s side are not only getting results, but looking stylish and solid at the same time.

The other winners of the weekend were Sligo Rovers, Waterford and Derry City.

Sligo’s demolition of Dundalk at Oriel Park on Monday night had people leaving the stadium after 40 minutes. The re-signing of Max Mata means Sligo have one of the top marksmen in the division leading their line and being backed up by the likes of Fabrice Hartmann and Ellis Chapman, John Russell’s side are capable of picking up results this season and particularly in games like this.

Dundalk on the other hand, well, the less said about them after Monday, the better. Themselves and St Pat’s – who lost both games last week – will be coming under increased pressure should results not turn in the coming weeks. For St Pat’s and the talent that they have in their side, the consecutive defeats really showed the frailties they have at both ends of the pitch.

Waterford’s impressive opening was stunted briefly by a 2-1 defeat in Galway against their fellow promoted side. However, bouncing back with an excellent 3-1 win over Jon Daly’s Pat’s had the RSC bouncing, and as I’ve mentioned to date, that will be a difficult fixture for every team this year. Over 3,000 people packed the stadium to see Keith Long’s charges overcome their opposition, and having played there before, I know not many players will fancy the big open surroundings.

For Derry City, a return of four from six against St Pat’s and Shamrock Rovers will be pleasing for Ruaidhri Higgins – despite being so close to claiming six but for Markus Poom’s late equaliser in Tallaght. Super Danny Mullen notched two goals for City in both games, perhaps laying claim to the modern day Solksjaer role.

This week, Declan Devine’s Bohemians are up against it in the Dublin Derby, as they face Shels. The game comes at a challenging time for Bohs, having been convincingly defeated by Drogheda United on Monday night, and with Shels in such fine form. I am predicting goals in this one, I say this because Shelbourne will smell blood and have the confidence and belief to go and win. Bohs on the other hand are under serious pressure, and will be desperate to give their fans something to shout about.

At the Brandywell, I have a feeling that if Waterford show up to play and compete with Derry City, we could be in for a cracker of a game.