THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION of Ireland are to restructure and relaunch their Emerging Talent Programme to include some of the country’s best 10-year-old footballers.
Speaking at this afternoon’s FAI Annual Gemeral Meeting, John Delaney, the association’s chief executive, revealed the new, talent-nurturing direction. Ireland’s most promising 10-year-olds will be invited to take part in the programme from this September following recommendations of a newly formed Technical Advisory Committee.
Delaney announced, as part of a new development plan, that a national U17 league will be formed and that the association’s academy development at the National Sports Campus would be completed by Spring 2015.
Delaney commented, “We are at a crucial time for the development of our sport, particularly in the area of elite player development but I know that if everybody in the football family pulls together as one team we can deliver good results.”
The FAI will, no doubt, be hoping to replicate the international success of Germany and Belgium after their youth-centric programmes bore fruit up at the recent World Cup in Brazil.
New name, same address?
The FAI made a net profit of €8.97m in the year ending 31 December, 2013 and reduced their overall debt from €63m to €50m. Lansdowne Road may be in for another name change in 2020, too, as the naming rights will be up for grabs.
The ground currently goes by the Aviva Stadium but a host of companies may line up to have their brand attached to the home of Irish football and rugby when bidding time comes around.
The other news of note from today’s meeting was the election of a new FAI president, Tony Fitzgerald, and vice president, Donal Conway.
Delaney declared, “Tony has been involved in the game all of his life in Cork and will be an excellent representative as the incoming FAI president for all of the volunteers throughout the country. It is also nice to see a Munster man come in to the position and he will be our first FAI President from Cork since Pat O’Brien was elected in 1986.”
