DEPARTING FAI CHAIRMAN Roy Barrett has called for significant government investment in the country’s football facilities, which he branded as “grossly inadequate.”
Barrett this week announced his intention to step down from the role, which he first assumed in 2020, making history as the FAI’s first-ever independent chairman. His first major act was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the government, which was an effective bailout of the beleaguered organisation.
Barrett’s decision to step down is partly to facilitate the appointment of two female representatives to the FAI board, a term of the MOU.
Speaking to the media today, Barrett said his replacement must focus on improving the game’s facilities across the country, while calling for more State investment.
“The reality is there has been chronic underinvestment in Irish football for the last 20 years or so”, said Barrett.
“People can look at all the reasons as to why that has happened, but the only thing we all agree on is that it is a fact. If I put it in context: since 2000 – and we can argue whether it is right or wrong – but the fact is that the GAA have got about €430 million in government grants, football has got €118 million, rugby has got €57 million.
“If you look at that per club: GAA has got €208,000 per club, rugby €280,000 per club, and football less than €100,000 per club. We have 1200 different clubs. The facilities are grossly inadequate for where we are and where we are going. There’s 220,000-odd registered players, 43,000-odd registered volunteers, and it’s a huge community sport.
“Football needs a huge amount of significant investment from a governmental and other perspective. Where the [FAI's] focus should be is clearly on bridging that gap.
“We have five million or so people in the country now, 500,000 more than we thought from the last Census, and by 2040 it is due to grow by a million more. That will be the natural birth rate and also people who are immigrants to the country, and by definition there will be a more significant bias among that cohort for the game of football as it’s the only significant international sport we play and is supported.
“Whatever chronic need there is now, there will be a greater need in the future. Football provides so many different benefits. You have models from Uefa and others which basically say that the net contribution of football to this country is €1.8 billion plus per annum.
“So it is very significant from an economic, societal and health perspective and the needs are only going to get greater. As a whole, I’d be arguing that government should be providing more money to sport in general but in particular to football given that it is a community-based sport with all the benefits that it brings and if there is one critical area of focus, that is where it should be. And it is going to take time.”
Barrett will remain in his position until a successor is appointed, which may take until the end of this year. He said the achieving of the agreed gender balance quota is only part of the reason behind his decision to step away.
“There has been an awful lot of good work been done and I am happy the organisation is in a good place.
“I don’t believe the people in my type of role should stay for a long time. I do believe in either boards or organisations regenerating themselves.”
Reflecting on his time helming the FAI through the chaos that followed John Delaney’s exit from the association, Barrett said, “It was a complete mess from a financial perspective. That was probably the most obvious part of it. What wasn’t as apparent was the damage done to the organisation itself, its reputation.
“Staff confidence levels were really just shot to pieces. That’s within the FAI, outside the FAI all the reputational issues made life for the people in the organisation extremely difficult.
“Going into it I knew that is what it was going to be. I was probably, at a level, surprised that in many ways it was kind of worse but that is what it was. But I had confidence that with time and with effort that could be restored because behind the organisation and all that went on there was a fantastic game. It is the largest participation sport in the country where there is a massive passion for it, for the intentional teams and all aspects of it.
“Societally it’s really important. I may have come not from ‘in’ football but I have always loved football, I have always played it and always had a passion for it, so when I was asked to [become chairman] I didn’t really think twice about it because I do think football is important in this country.”