Underage football developments ‘bigger than Austria game’

The FAI’s Under-15 national league will kick off in August and will be followed in the near future by an Under-13 equivalent, according to John Delaney.

Speaking last night at the launch of an elite academy initiative between Bray Wanderers and St Joseph’s Boys, the FAI chief executive outlined that recent developments around underage football are to a certain extent more important than Sunday’s World Cup qualifier against Austria.

The collaboration — now entitled St Joseph’s Bray Academy — is based at the old Bective rugby ground in south Dublin, a playing venue which may change from private to State ownership shortly in order to facilitate infrastructural investment.