Rift opens as LOI clubs reject FAI’s ‘poorly conceived’ coaching plan
The Premier Division clubs, angry at delays in securing State funding for academies, have rejected a new plan proposed by chief football officer Marc Canham.
THE PREMIER CLUB Alliance, an organisation representing the 10 League of Ireland Premier Division clubs, have written to the FAI to say they will not allow their academy players to participate in a planned coaching programme at FAI HQ in Abbotstown, opening a rift between the FAI and the LOI’s top clubs.
Furthermore, the Premier Division clubs say there is “zero current budget” for League of Ireland academies within the FAI, with tensions heightened on the subject following sports minister Patrick O’Donovan’s recent comments that promised State funding for those academies is “not imminent.”
The Premier Division clubs were last week given an online presentation by chief football officer Marc Canham and his deputy Shane Robinson on a proposed centralised coaching programme at Abbotstown, which would be a means of improving coaching contact hours for the most talented 14-17 year old footballers in the country. The plan would see 250 of the most talented boys and girls from across the country be invited to FAI HQ for 45 days of training per year during their school holidays.
Canham says Irish talents need to triple their contact time to compete with their European counterparts, and this centralised plan has been mooted following the axing of the Emerging Talent Programme.
The details of the plan first emerged in the Irish Examiner on Monday, 3 March, three days before the clubs were briefed by the FAI on the subject. The FAI are yet to officially publish the details of the centralised plan.
In an emailed letter to CEO David Courell, president Paul Cooke, Canham and LOI director Mark Scanlon, the PCA say the clubs will not allow their players be released for the FAI’s centralised plans, which they describe as “poorly conceived.” The clubs say they remain of the belief that the best route to improved coaching hours is within club academies. The clubs also criticised the FAI over their communication and engagement on the issue, describing it as “poor at best.”
The FAI’s ongoing delay in securing that funding has caused mounting frustration at clubs. In their letter to the FAI, the PCA point out that “aside from small travel and youth grants, there is zero current budget for LOI academy development within the FAI.”
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The letter continues, “In spite of many years of talks around future funding (since the inception of the PCA over 10 years ago) nothing has materialised, our clubs are currently spending millions of euro per annum on our academies.
Given all the above, the current position of the PCA clubs is they cannot and will not support the proposal and our clubs will not release players registered for involvement.”
The FAI’s head of women and girls’ football, Hannah Dingley, is due to publicly launch the FAI’s women and girls’ football action plan later today, though Canham is not due to be in attendance.
The FAI did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Letter from PCA to FAI
PREMIER CLUBS ALLIANCE LEAGUE OF IRELAND 2025
7 March 2025
Recipients: David Courell, Paul Cooke, Marc Canham, Mark Scanlon.
Sent: By e-mail only
Re: NPP – Presentation given to PCA on March 6. via Zoom
On behalf of the Premier Clubs Alliance, we are appreciative of Marc Canham and Shane Robinson presenting the FAI plans to the PCA representatives on March 6th. In keeping with best practice in other jurisdictions, we collectively agree that increasing contact hours for young players is crucial for the development of Irish football talent, both for the players themselves and also the future of Irish football.
Having considered the information provided by the FAI yesterday the PCA would like to communicate the following:
1. The communication and engagement with us the Premier League clubs, key stakeholders, has been poor at best. This demonstrated a lack of regard and respect, but more importantly it occurred in a manner that is contrary to agreed practice and understood norms resulting in a presentation that erred in many areas.
2. The critical element of the presentation provided, player contact hours, was inaccurate in many regards and critically, the metrics applied by the FAI are simply not applicable. It was not suitable for use or presentation to any third parties and therefore does not warrant any serious consideration.
3. The clubs’ core position that the best route to increased contact hours is within club environments remains unchanged and this poorly conceived proposal is detrimental to this aim.
The PCA notes that aside from the small travel and youth grants, there is zero current budget for LOI academy development within the FAI. In spite of many years of talks around future funding (since the inception of the PCA over 10 years ago) nothing has materialised, our clubs are currently spending millions of Euros per annum on our academies.
Given all the above, the current position of the PCA clubs is that they cannot and will not support the proposal and our clubs will not release players registered for involvement.
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Rift opens as LOI clubs reject FAI’s ‘poorly conceived’ coaching plan
THE PREMIER CLUB Alliance, an organisation representing the 10 League of Ireland Premier Division clubs, have written to the FAI to say they will not allow their academy players to participate in a planned coaching programme at FAI HQ in Abbotstown, opening a rift between the FAI and the LOI’s top clubs.
Furthermore, the Premier Division clubs say there is “zero current budget” for League of Ireland academies within the FAI, with tensions heightened on the subject following sports minister Patrick O’Donovan’s recent comments that promised State funding for those academies is “not imminent.”
The Premier Division clubs were last week given an online presentation by chief football officer Marc Canham and his deputy Shane Robinson on a proposed centralised coaching programme at Abbotstown, which would be a means of improving coaching contact hours for the most talented 14-17 year old footballers in the country. The plan would see 250 of the most talented boys and girls from across the country be invited to FAI HQ for 45 days of training per year during their school holidays.
Canham says Irish talents need to triple their contact time to compete with their European counterparts, and this centralised plan has been mooted following the axing of the Emerging Talent Programme.
The details of the plan first emerged in the Irish Examiner on Monday, 3 March, three days before the clubs were briefed by the FAI on the subject. The FAI are yet to officially publish the details of the centralised plan.
In an emailed letter to CEO David Courell, president Paul Cooke, Canham and LOI director Mark Scanlon, the PCA say the clubs will not allow their players be released for the FAI’s centralised plans, which they describe as “poorly conceived.” The clubs say they remain of the belief that the best route to improved coaching hours is within club academies. The clubs also criticised the FAI over their communication and engagement on the issue, describing it as “poor at best.”
The background to the letter, sent last Friday, 7 March, are sports minister Patrick O’Donovan’s comments to The 42 on 27 February, in which he said State funding to academies – included as a promise in the programme for government – is “not imminent.”
The FAI’s ongoing delay in securing that funding has caused mounting frustration at clubs. In their letter to the FAI, the PCA point out that “aside from small travel and youth grants, there is zero current budget for LOI academy development within the FAI.”
The letter continues, “In spite of many years of talks around future funding (since the inception of the PCA over 10 years ago) nothing has materialised, our clubs are currently spending millions of euro per annum on our academies.
Given all the above, the current position of the PCA clubs is they cannot and will not support the proposal and our clubs will not release players registered for involvement.”
The FAI’s head of women and girls’ football, Hannah Dingley, is due to publicly launch the FAI’s women and girls’ football action plan later today, though Canham is not due to be in attendance.
The FAI did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Letter from PCA to FAI
PREMIER CLUBS ALLIANCE LEAGUE OF IRELAND 2025
7 March 2025
Recipients: David Courell, Paul Cooke, Marc Canham, Mark Scanlon.
Sent: By e-mail only
Re: NPP – Presentation given to PCA on March 6. via Zoom
On behalf of the Premier Clubs Alliance, we are appreciative of Marc Canham and Shane Robinson presenting the FAI plans to the PCA representatives on March 6th. In keeping with best practice in other jurisdictions, we collectively agree that increasing contact hours for young players is crucial for the development of Irish football talent, both for the players themselves and also the future of Irish football.
Having considered the information provided by the FAI yesterday the PCA would like to communicate the following:
1. The communication and engagement with us the Premier League clubs, key stakeholders, has been poor at best. This demonstrated a lack of regard and respect, but more importantly it occurred in a manner that is contrary to agreed practice and understood norms resulting in a presentation that erred in many areas.
2. The critical element of the presentation provided, player contact hours, was inaccurate in many regards and critically, the metrics applied by the FAI are simply not applicable. It was not suitable for use or presentation to any third parties and therefore does not warrant any serious consideration.
3. The clubs’ core position that the best route to increased contact hours is within club environments remains unchanged and this poorly conceived proposal is detrimental to this aim.
The PCA notes that aside from the small travel and youth grants, there is zero current budget for LOI academy development within the FAI. In spite of many years of talks around future funding (since the inception of the PCA over 10 years ago) nothing has materialised, our clubs are currently spending millions of Euros per annum on our academies.
Given all the above, the current position of the PCA clubs is that they cannot and will not support the proposal and our clubs will not release players registered for involvement.
This letter has the support of all PCA clubs.
With reporting by David Sneyd
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