John Fallon: FAI need to fund modernised player pathways despite financial constraints

Money’s too tight to mention for the FAI but Ger O’Brien, director of football at St Patrick’s Athletic, feels that only a largesse of up to €300m over the next decade will suffice to modernise the Irish system

Ireland's Rocco Vata celebrates after scoring his side's fifth goal during the UEFA U17 Championship Qualifier match between Republic of Ireland and Andorra at Turner's Cross. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

What’s rare is wonderful but the big test for the FAI is ensuring what’s normal in a post-Brexit landscape is sufficient to keep pace with European peers.

In these pages last Thursday, our colleague Larry Ryan portrayed a momentous night from Turner’s Cross, where the importance of a 5-0 win over Andorra for Ireland’s U17s was trumped by the significance of a new trend.