The Pitch: Underage football worth €40m, so why is it poor relation?

Very little is known about the schoolboy and schoolgirl football sector and its direct financial impact on the economy.

Defender Sean McSweeney makes a cross into the box for Castleview against Macroom.  

Last weekend or next more than 150,000 schoolboys and girls play fixtures in their  schoolboys/girls league seasons.

Two thirds of those players will begin a new season while one third will enter the final phases of a calendar year campaign.