Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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3. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to give an update on and a timeline for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland, as contained in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10149/25]

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister to give an update on and a timeline for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland, as contained in the programme for Government, and to make a statement on the matter.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Byrne and congratulate her on her election and her spokespersonship.

In response to the question, the programme for Government, as the Deputy knows, includes a commitment to explore new mechanisms for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland. My Department has provided additional funding to the FAI to enable it to produce a report on developing football academies. This will include a baseline audit of existing academy structures and needs, and that will then inform the development of an academy development plan. This funding will also enable the FAI to appoint an academies administrator, to support the development of new academy programmes and to track their impact. The funding will be channelled through Sport Ireland. I very much look forward to receiving the report from Sport Ireland. It will be a key input to considering the next steps to be taken while noting that decisions in this regard are primarily a matter for the FAI as an independent sports body.

Considerable additional financial support has been provided by the State for the development of football in Ireland, particularly through the 2020-23 memorandum of understanding between the Government and the FAI. That MOU provided for funding of €5.8 million per annum to the FAI during that four-year period up to 2023 for football development. A new MOU was signed last December, which increased State funding to the FAI to €6 million per annum for the period 2024-27.

In terms of State support for the development of facilities, more than €100 million was allocated to Irish football in the second half of last year. That consisted of €54.5 million in November from the large-scale sport infrastructure fund to football stadium projects at Finn Harps, Dalymount Park, Sligo Rovers and Wexford FC. Also, we saw €50.5 million allocated from the community sports and equipment fund to support the development of grassroots club football facilities nationwide.

The Government is committed to supporting the development of Ireland's sporting ecosystem, and the support that continues to be provided for football is a key example of that commitment.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Despite football being the biggest sport in Ireland, I feel it has been overlooked for too long in this country, in particular our footballing academies. The future of Irish football relies on investment, resources and infrastructure to support, build and evolve youth football. Historically, resources have not been there to give players the contact hours with coaches that are necessary. Irish clubs as a whole are fighting to survive and they need support from all relevant stakeholders, including the Government. Statistics outline the difference in training hours for a kid at an Irish club compared with its counterpart category 3 club in the UK. They fall way short. As the ages rise from under-14s to under-17s, so too do the disparity and the imbalance. Alarmingly, staffing levels for our academies are among the lowest in Europe, with ten full-time staff across 24 academies here, Poland boasting 376 staff across 16 clubs and Portugal with 315 over seven academies. Croatia, often hailed in comparison to Ireland due to its having a similar population, has 190 full-time academy staff across ten clubs.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We have seen great momentum and great attendances in recent times in the League of Ireland. There was a great example recently in the Aviva Stadium, with 33,000 people attending. I want to work with the FAI and all in grassroots football to build on that momentum in order to make sure that right across the country the support and development opportunities are there for young children to get involved in this sport, to excel and to develop their participation. At the moment, the Government, through the memorandum of understanding with the FAI, has significant support in place. Significantly increased support started in 2019, following on from the financial collapse of the FAI at that time, which led to a significant increase in the allocation to the FAI, targeted primarily towards coaching and development at grassroots level, particularly with young people. I think there is real potential in developing an academy structure as part of that ecosystem. I want to make sure that any investment we put into that is directed in a way that makes a real impact and delivers real results. I have outlined how we are engaging with the FAI, how we have already provided financial support to do an audit and to put in place an academy administrator and then how we step it out from there.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The FAI has worked tremendously hard in recent years to enhance its reputation as a trusted and respected brand. It has an ambitious facilities development and investment strategy that commits to raising standards within grassroots and recreational football. With nearly 1,200 grassroots clubs and more than 220,000 registered players over 75 leagues, the numbers speak for themselves. Participation and the potential are ever growing. I welcome the Minister of State's contribution today, but kicking the ball down the field and delaying State funding for League of Ireland academies, as was referred to in an interview with the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, last week, is not an option. As a nation, we are falling short on all fronts when it comes to recognising the potential League of Ireland clubs and grassroots football can bring. The fate of our senior international teams, both male and female, relies on our delivering a fitting future for every boy and girl who enters their own field of dreams. I implore the Minister and the Minister of State to make their mark, be the voice for youth football in Ireland and continue to support the FAI in its endeavours to harness the academies to develop a full-time football industry. I look forward to working with them both in the future to that end.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I see real potential here as to how we can develop an academy system. Obviously, we have to make sure we develop it in a way that is sustainable and makes the biggest impact. The plans are not there yet as to how exactly that would work. I want to see how they would work. We have given some funding to the FAI to do an audit and to put an administrator in place, to see how we can step that out. Then, as to how we follow through from a Government point of view, I want to see real results in that regard and liaise closely with the FAI on the exact plans as to how this might be stepped out.

The Government has massively committed to grassroots sports and to seeing people being able to participate at this level, as well as to excel and develop their full potential. I refer as well to the undoubted potential we have as a soccer nation to improve even further and to see the pipeline coming through, right up to the League of Ireland level and internationally from there on. This is something I want to work on with everyone in soccer and with the FAI to ensure we develop this potential.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am committed to developing an academy structure, but we must be very clear about how we step it out, ensuring it is impactful and there is a clear plan and direction of travel in place for that journey.