Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment in view of the global gindings report produced from the Double Pass audit into the League of Ireland academy system, which benchmarks Ireland significantly behind other nations, the plans he has initiated to support academy development; if he will commit to the significant funding increase in this area to allow our academies grow to meet the huge potential they hold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52248/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The operation of the League of Ireland and its academies is fundamentally a matter for the Football Association of Ireland, which, like all other NGBs of sport is an independent, autonomous organisation responsible for the organisation and development of its own sport.

The programme for Government commits to exploring new mechanisms for the creation of football academies and an additional finding grant of €1 million provided by my Department to the FAI enabled it to produce the report referred to by the Deputy. The funding also enabled the appointment by the FAI of an academies administrator to support the development of new academy programmes and track their impact.

The League of Ireland global findings report, produced by the Belgian company Double Pass, 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, and a pre-budget submission focusing on academies has recently been submitted to me by the association. This will be given consideration, taking account of the range of request across the sports sector for additional support and, ultimately, the outcome of the current budgetary process.

While the FAI has sought significant State funding to support its academies, it is important to note the sizeable financial support directed to the FAI and to football more generally over the past few 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 aimed at promoting participation in football by young people, with the balance in funding comprising Covid-specific and energy supports to the FAI and the wider football sector.

Furthermore, significant capital funding has been granted to football projects around the country in recent years, including the €48.9 million that has been allocated 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 club football facilities nationwide under the 2020 and 2023 rounds of the community sports facilities fund.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I cannot emphasise enough just how important academies are to the future of Irish football. At the very top of the scale, we just need to see where our national team is right now in the international rankings and look at recent defeats to so-called lesser teams. At grassroots level, the opportunities that were there before Brexit no longer exist. Irish players cannot go across the water to larger academies and learn their trades like how it used to be done. Those young academy players are here. They want to play; they want to learn. They want the opportunity to represent their club and, ultimately, their country to the very best of their abilities. Without football academies up and down this country being adequately resourced, however, they are never going to reach their full potential. Some of the significant moments of modern Irish history have been because of football. Let us think of Euro 88, Italia 90, USA 94; events that unified everybody in every part of this country and lifted the mood of the population and brought joy and belief in ourselves as a people. If we want to see moments like that again, we need to start the process and invest now.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The FAI already receives significant amounts of Government funding, which the Deputy did not reference, nor did she reference anything the Government has been doing for the FAI over the past number of years. The 2023 memorandum of understanding between the Government and the FAI provides €5.8 million per annum to the association via Sport Ireland. In addition, the Government pays the FAI's annual contribution to the Aviva management company for three years, which is €2.54 million, which is now repayable to the State at a rate of €1 million per annum. A new memorandum of understanding was signed on 17 December 2024, which increased the funding to €6 million. The bulk of this funding goes towards the FAI's youth field sports grants, which are aimed at developing the grassroots of the game. I know what the Deputy is saying, but it is a bit unfortunate that she did not reference the things we are doing. The FAI could not function at the moment if it were not for the Government. The Deputy might in her response at least acknowledge that.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The programme for Government stated that the Government will explore new mechanisms for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland, so I am not going to stand here and give the Minister plaudits for doing what he has committed to doing. The FAI pre-budget submission asks for support for League of Ireland academies, which is what my question this morning is about. This will create a total of 81 new jobs in clubs around the country before a jump to €8 million annually with the hope of creating 340 full-time and part-time jobs to kickstart an industry. If the Government makes the investment now, we could have the days like those I referenced earlier of Euro 88, Italia 90 and USA 94, but it has to make the investment now for Irish football to be self-financing in the future. We need to invest in our academies now.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I remind the Deputy that we actually have fulfilled our programme for Government commitment. We paid for the report and the Deputy did not acknowledge that either. Now we are considering it, and we will consider it in the round with every other field sport that is looking for money, including rugby, Gaelic games and everything else. We have a limited amount. If there are suggestions she has with regard to existing parts of the sports, culture and communications budget that I can cut, I would be delighted to hear them.