Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)

As outlined in my reply to an earlier question, the operation of the League of Ireland and its academies is fundamentally a matter for the Football Association of Ireland which, like all national governing bodies of sport, is an independent, autonomous body responsible for the organisation and development of its own sport.

At present, no specific funding is allocated for League of Ireland academies. However, the programme for Government commits to exploring new mechanisms for the creation of football academies. An additional funding grant of €1 million, which was provided by my Department to the FAI, enabled it to produce the recently published League of Ireland Global Findings Report. The funding also enabled the appointment by the FAI of an academies administrator to support the development of new academy programmes and to track their impact. The Global Findings Report benchmarks Irish football academies against international standards based on an audit of existing academy structures and needs. My Department continues to engage with the FAI regarding this report. A pre-budget submission focusing on academies has recently been submitted to me by the FAI. This will be given due consideration, taking account of the range of requests across the sports sector for additional support and, ultimately, the outcome of the budget process.

While the FAI has sought significant State funding to support its academies, it is important to note that sizable financial support has been directed to the FAI and to football more generally over recent years. Over €75 million in State funding was allocated to the FAI between 2019 and 2024, including €30.2 million specifically to support football development and promote participation in football by young people, with the balance in funding comprising Covid-specific and energy supports. Furthermore, significant capital funding has been granted to football projects around the country in recent years, including €48.9 million to FAI-endorsed football stadium projects at Finn Harps, Dalymount Park, Sligo Rovers and Wexford FC under the 2024 round of the large-scale sports infrastructure fund, LSSIF, and €76 million to support the development of grassroots football club facilities nationwide under the 2020 and 2023 rounds of the community sports facilities fund.

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