Ireland’s problem is not resources
Meanwhile, next door, hundreds of local youngsters were also being put through their paces on the campus’ other state-of-the-art pitches — with different age groups of boys and girls receiving training from the federation’s qualified youth coaches.
It was an impressive sight — as is the entire ‘Football City’. The complex includes an indoor training facility, medical centre, media room, classrooms where youth coaches and referees sit their exams, plush administrative offices and residential accommodation for senior and youth international players.
There is also an excellent museum showcasing Spain’s football history.
The exhibits start with King Alfonso XIII as patron in the early 20th century, goes through Franco overseeing the 1964 European Championship triumph on home soil and finishes with both the European Championship and World Cup trophies proudly on display.
Any visitor quickly sees the importance of ‘fútbol’ to Spanish people through the last 110 years. The €42 million campus, opened in 2003, remains controversial — and in July Spain’s Supreme Court ruled the local council’s original decision to give the site free to the RFEF was unlawful. But Xavi, Casillas and Iniesta (and the many kids and coaches) were still there on Wednesday.
Similar ‘issues’ have long surrounded the Irish football’s plans for its home, with FAI chief executive John Delaney regularly talking up big projects for their Abbotstown base, but little being accomplished.
When the FAI moved its offices to the suburban Dublin site in November 2007, Delaney stated: “Phase two of our Abbotstown project is the creation of a national academy complete with seven top-class training pitches.”
Six years later the latest academy plan is for two full-sized pitches and dressing-rooms. €388,852 in Fifa funding was promised last year, along with a €500,000 government grant. The project remains “in development”, according to the FAI website.
There are also details online of the FAI’s ‘Emerging Talent Programme (ETP)’, which is getting wider scrutiny after the messy end of Giovanni Trapattoni’s reign as Ireland manager. Seven years into this programme the association employs seven qualified Uefa Pro Licence holders, 58 Uefa A Licence holders and a further 22 B Licence holders. Their work is supplemented — say the FAI — by more than 30,000 qualified coaches at clubs throughout Ireland.
That figure lead to a check of the latest Uefa statistics (from October 2013), which say Ireland has 627 B Licences, 189 A-Licences and just 47 holders of its ‘Pro’ qualification.
By contrast Spain has 9,391 B Licence holders, 13,070 A Licences and 2,353 Pro Licences.
You might counter that Spain’s focus on youth coaching is exceptional — but many other European countries also boast much higher numbers than Ireland. For example Hungary has 3,679 B Licences, Austria 1,370 A Licences and the Czech Republic 380 Pro Licences.
So there’s no real reason why Ireland should have so few qualified coaches. Current poor economic conditions are no excuse. Unemployment and emigration are also huge issues in Spain, but youth football coaching is seen as a viable career option — it’s a ‘proper job’, not a hobby for dads and uncles.
Two other exhibits at the Ciudad del Futbol’s museum also stood out on Wednesday.
It has the original pennant from Ireland v Spain at Dalymount Park on June 12 1949 — when Spain won 4-1.
And a jersey signed by the Irish team beaten 4-0 by Del Bosque’s side at Euro 2012.
The reason for such Spanish dominance through the decades is cultural, not financial. Ireland’s problem is in emphasis, not resources.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
