Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the ambassador as well and acknowledge the work she has done over recent months and years. We had a productive meeting yesterday in the foreign affairs committee. It could have gone on for two or three more hours it was so impressive.

I am happy to see Senator Andrews in the Chair now because League of Ireland and grassroots soccer is something he and I are passionate about. The FAI has done excellent work over recent years, particularly in its 2022-2025 strategy, 80% of which is completed. This work has been led by the president, Mr. Paul Cooke, and by the CEO, Mr. David Courell. There has been a lot done on increasing participation. We now have 234,000 people in the country playing soccer, an increase of 7% in three years. In terms of female participation, we have seen an increase of 27% in participation. That goes back to the success of the women's game internationally when playing in the World Cup in Australia a number of years ago. Sponsorship has been increased, being doubled in recent years, and the ticketing from national games and League of Ireland has been increased. There has been a lot done.

What the FAI is putting together is a programme and plan for the next ten years which will transform the League of Ireland and the underage and academy levels. Essentially, it is planning to set up 26 centres of excellence academy locations across the country. Six of them will be in Dublin city - people will be familiar with the likes of Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians and Shelbourne - and there will be 19 around the country in the likes of Wexford, Waterford, Kerry, Cobh Ramblers, Cork, Galway United and Finn Harps. They will be almost everywhere in the country. The reason for this is to try to create an opportunity for young children throughout the country because one of the challenges the League of Ireland and the FAI have had is losing talent in certain areas because we do not have that centre of excellence. What the organisation is trying to do is to build that opportunity and build a pathway within those academy locations so as to have a pyramid system where there is an opportunity for young talented players to be able to progress to a level at which they can achieve, which could be at international level, League of Ireland level or a lower league level, and to have a more structured base to create those opportunities.It also means there would be more sustainable success over the years. Instead of having one player here and there breaking through, there would be success right through.

This plan is over an 11-year period, with continuous investment from the FAI, but the hope is to get investment from the Government. At the moment, €8 million a year is put in. Under the plan, we are looking at €16 million a year, so there is an €8 million multiyear investment being sought from the Government, starting in this upcoming budget. What that essentially will do is close the gap from where Ireland is positioned from a grassroots level compared with other countries across the world.

We currently have a situation where players do not have the opportunity to get the top-quality level coaching they need to be able to get to the level they need to reach. The FAI is asking that we put that money forward. Some 81% of that funding will go right back into the clubs on the ground. It does not stay in Dublin. It goes right back into the ground to promote players.

I look forward to the Minister of State’s response.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I will give a bit of background information. The development of football is a matter for the FAI, which, like all national governing bodies of sport, is an independent, autonomous body that is responsible for the organisation and development of the sport. While the FAI has sought significant State funding to support its academic development plans, it is important to note the sizable financial support directed to the FAI and to football more generally over the past number of years. More than €75 million in State funding was allocated to the Football Association of Ireland between 2019 and 2024, including €30.2 million specifically to support 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 association.

In respect of State support for the development of facilities, more than €100 million in capital funding was allocated to Irish football in the second half of 2024. Under the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, €54.4 million was allocated in November 2024 to football stadium projects at Finn Harps, Dalymount Park, Sligo Rovers and Wexford. An additional €50.6 million was allocated from the community sports and equipment fund in 2024 to support the development of grassroots club football facilities nationwide.

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. The memorandum of understanding provided for a package of funding of €5.8 million per annum to the FAI during that four-year period up to 2023 for football development. In return, it is important to recognise the FAI has made significant progress regarding governance reform, with 159 of the 163 memorandum of understanding recommendations and conditions either complied with or phase 1 completed.

A new memorandum was signed on 17 December last, which will increase State funding to the FAI to €6 million per annum for the 2024-27 period. The bulk of this funding will go towards the FAI’s youth field sports grants, which are aimed at developing the grassroots of the game, improving coaching and playing standards, growing participation numbers and embracing communities outside of the traditional base of the sport.

The Government is also providing significant support to the hosting of the Euro 2028 football championship, which will deliver a lasting legacy for football in Ireland. Specifically, legacy funding will help deliver increased participation and related health and social benefits, especially for communities from underrepresented groups and deprived areas. Social inclusion will be key in the delivery of the tournament to ensure that legacy benefits reach a diverse and wide-ranging group. We cannot overestimate that. It is hugely important that we go out into all communities and ensure that we are engaging with those communities and getting them greater participation in sport. As the House will know, it is a great enabler for people.

The programme for Government also includes a commitment to explore new mechanisms for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland. In this programme for Government, we will be working through the Department of sport and with all stakeholders to ensure that this commitment is delivered on and to ensure we are reaching into each and every community.

I will leave the answer at that, but I take the Senator's well-made point. I might respond to subsequent questions.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response. He is right that there has been an awful lot of money given over the past number of years to support the FAI and grassroots level in terms of the €30 million.

It is important to note that the people leading the FAI now have, as the Minister of State said, delivered on the memorandum of understanding. Some 98% of that has been completed. They have shown they are willing to commit, once the funding is put in place, on Government suggestions.

There has been a big change since Brexit. Essentially, back in the day, the likes of Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and people like them went to the UK when they were 14 or 15, became great players, played for Ireland and played for great clubs. They had coaching at Spurs, Liverpool and clubs like that – the top-quality, best-in-the-world-type coaching one could get. Now, because of Brexit, players cannot go to the UK until they are 18, which means we have players in Ireland who have been signed for record fees but are still playing in League of Ireland. We have players who are 16 and 17 going to the UK in a year or two but who are still in Ireland now, and they need the same quality of young-age coaching to be at that level when they go over to those clubs to achieve great things in the future for Ireland.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I take the point. It is clear from the prepared script from the Department, and the House will know, that there is serious investment. Much work has been done with the FAI over the past number of years and we will continue to do so. It is an important sport in our communities, and it is important that we engage and encourage more people. The Senator referenced women’s participation, which is as important in this sport as in others. We have to liaise with the FAI.

I also take the point on high performance and centres of excellence. We have to develop them in all communities so that it is spread right across the country. There is a great deal of work being done by football clubs the length and breadth of the country in challenging times in terms of raising funds and keeping the gates open. We acknowledge the work being done by them, and also the points the Senator made, to make sure that we have funding channelled in the best way possible to achieve the best results for the players, for the association and for Ireland Inc.