Ruud Dokter's plan was misused to condemn grassroots football to the shadows

Dokter’s plan is worth examining as much for what it set out to achieve, as for what it actually achieved once it fell into the wrong hands.

10 March 2020; FAI High Performance Director Ruud Dokter during a Republic of Ireland Women training session at Pod Malim Brdom in Petrovac, Montenegro. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

HAVE you heard the one about the Player Development Plan which became a political football?

This tragic farce was built on the noble intentions of a now departing high performance director and quickly became a stick to beat down grassroots football across Ireland.