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Marc Canham (file photo.) Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

FAI accept they missed opportunity to apply for Brexit funds as wait for academy investment goes on

The FAI had much better news today with their largest-ever allocation under the sports capital grants programme.

THE FAI HAVE admitted they missed an opportunity to secure vital funding for professional League of Ireland academies via an EU Brexit fund, but will have clarity from the government on whether they will receive their requested annual โ‚ฌ10 million investment by the end of this year. 

Speaking at the FAI AGM 11 days ago, interim CEO David Courell said the FAI hoped to receive funds toward investment in League of Ireland academies via the EUโ€™s Brexit Reserve Fund.

But the FAI left it too late to apply, with the deadline now closed. 

The fund was created to help industries negatively affected by Brexit, with Ireland receiving the largest single portion of it, totalling โ‚ฌ802 million. The FAI argue they have been negatively impacted by Britainโ€™s withdrawal from the EU as it means that 16 and 17 year old footballers can no longer sign for UK clubs, shutting off access to high-calibre coaching academies until they are at least 18. This, the FAI argue, accentuates the need for investment in professional League of Ireland academies.

Courell told AGM delegates the FAI had targeted a total of โ‚ฌ20 million from the Brexit Reserve Fund for this purpose, telling media afterwards that the FAI had submitted an application to government earlier this month in the hope of receiving some unspent allocation. 

Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe today confirmed that the FAI would not be able to access any of this funding, however, as they have missed the deadline.

โ€œAll the negotiations on the Brexit Adjustment Reserve concluded some time agoโ€, he said. 

Speaking to media a couple of hours later at a briefing on the progress of the player pathways plan, FAI chief football officer Marc Canham conceded the FAI missed an opportunity in not applying for this money earlier. 

โ€œWe are happy to accept we may have missed an opportunity there, as an association, not the government, on that specific fundโ€, said Canham. 

As to how the FAI missed this opportunity will raise internal questions at Abbotstown - The 42 understands some senior leadership staff raised the possibility of applying for this fund as far back as 2021, when Jonathan Hill was CEO. 

The FAI are seeking โ‚ฌ10 million annually from government for investment in LOI academies, and one potential source of that revenue is an increase in the betting levy. The levy is currently set at 2% on each bet placed in Ireland, and the money goes to the sports of horse and greyhound racing regardless of the sport on which a bet has been placed.

The FAI, along with the Federation of Irish Sport, are lobbying for an increase to 3% and for approximately 30% of the increase to be diverted to football. Courell told AGM delegates this would earn the FAI another โ‚ฌ30 million per year. 

Asked whether the FAI would have clarity on the betting levy proposal by the end of the year, grassroots director Ger McDermott said, โ€œIโ€™m not sure on that one. What Iโ€™m pleased with is that others are asking for the same thing, we feel itโ€™s a viable option for all sport.โ€ 

Canham says the FAI expect to have clarity on academy funding by the end of this year. 

โ€œBefore the end of the year weโ€™ll know where we areโ€, he said. โ€œI donโ€™t know what an announcement will look like but certainly our conversation with Government on that specific item, weโ€™ll have a good understanding of where we are by the end of the year.

โ€œI wouldnโ€™t say weโ€™re leaving this deliberately. We are very proactive speaking to Government regularly on a number of matters, including League of Ireland academies. So I wouldnโ€™t say weโ€™re leaving it and being complacent in any way.

โ€œWe believe around โ‚ฌ10 million per annum would absolutely transform player development and academies in this country, Will get get all of that? Not sure. But we presented different ways you can do that. We think around โ‚ฌ10 million would help us catch up and accelerate. Lesser money would mean that we might not go at the rate we want to go.โ€

LOI academies are among the least-resourced in Europe, with an average annual budget of โ‚ฌ500,000, ranking Ireland among relative minnows, namely  Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Cyprus, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Romania and San Marino.

Irish academies have less than one full-time development employee per club: Northern Ireland, Andorra, and Luxembourg are the only European countries with so few full-time staff.  

The FAI plan to disburse whatever money they do get to clubs according to a three-tier accredited system, called the Academy Mark, which has yet to be finalised. 

The FAI did receive better news in todayโ€™s sports capital announcement, with football benefitting from its largest-ever single allocation. A total of 371 football applications were granted a total of โ‚ฌ41.4 million, which sports minister Thomas Byrne saying this was a โ€œvery big winโ€ for the sport, paying tribute to the FAIโ€™s work in helping various clubs apply for the grants. 

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    Mute Derek Creevey
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    Sep 25th 2024, 6:37 PM

    Can we simply close the FAI. Shut it down. Start over with a new Board, with term-limited reps from LOI, Irish womens game, Govt., and underaged/grass roots from key schools (st Kevins). It has proven incompetent beyond compare, with no accountability.

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    Mute Michael Carroll
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    Sep 25th 2024, 5:41 PM

    How are these gob****s in charge of Irish football.

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    Mute john flannery
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    Sep 25th 2024, 6:34 PM

    @Michael Carroll: how true

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    Mute chris mcdonnell
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    Sep 25th 2024, 7:44 PM

    This shower should not get a cent of tax payers money.

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    Mute Paul Brown
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    Sep 25th 2024, 6:34 PM

    Canham is not at the required level. Itโ€™s a shambles in thereโ€ฆ

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    Mute Michael Corkery
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    Sep 25th 2024, 6:44 PM

    Far from being a โ€œdisruptionโ€ Brexit should have been a golden opportunity for Irish soccer to hold on to their brightest talents much longer until they were young adults- double benefit of having them longer in the Irish system (raising the overall level) and also getting much more money when they transferred as adults or much more developed academy products. Of course, that supposed there wasnโ€™t idiots in charge.

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    Mute Joe O'Regan
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    Sep 25th 2024, 7:59 PM

    You canโ€™t even say it is surprising anymore, just disappointing.

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    Mute Mayoforjam
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    Sep 25th 2024, 7:23 PM

    The FAI is so poorly run Iโ€™m beginning to think itโ€™s on purpose, maybe the GAA are actually running the FAI behind the scenes and making all these **** ups, to make sure soccer doesnโ€™t progress in this country so Gaelic games can remain dominant.

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    Mute Owen Collum
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    Sep 25th 2024, 9:08 PM

    They didnt apply before the deadlineโ€ฆโ€ฆ.800m odd, ya coudnt make it up!!!

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    Mute Bert Carolan
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    Sep 25th 2024, 7:21 PM

    The management of the Fai never ceases to surprise but not in a good way.
    There are many many fantastic people involved in the association but not at the top.

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    Mute Seaรกn O'C
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    Sep 25th 2024, 8:04 PM

    I wonder did other Irish sporting organizations apply and get access to cash from this EU Brexit fund ??

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    Mute Kingshu
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    Sep 25th 2024, 9:02 PM

    Missing out on a potential โ‚ฌ20m because you missed a deadline is near criminal. It just seams so lackadaisical, its not a professionally run organisation. Worst is it just doesnโ€™t supprise anymore, sooner theres a untied Ireland and the IFA take over football throughout Ireland the better, very few of the current senior FAI ones would get a look in.

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    Mute Jp Cleary
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    Sep 25th 2024, 8:45 PM

    Anything on Del Boyโ€ฆ.. like arrested and charged

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    Mute Mo Whelan
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    Sep 25th 2024, 9:35 PM

    John Delaney filed for his 2 years ago for his private company and was successful.

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