Why are strikers from around the football world turning to an Irish finishing school?

"It's a ruthless game and some players just need somebody to love them for an hour," says Morgan Biggs, who started Training121 aged 16, with his brother and best friend.

Fri, 19 Dec, 2025 - 09:16

Larry Ryan

“To say we’d have a 34-year-old Brazilian striker who plays in Vietnam travel to Ireland for 10 days for one reason only, to train with us… is just insane. Well that’s what Luçao did last week.”

Morgan Biggs doesn’t get many idle moments to take stock. But today brings another landmark for a unique Irish football success story. Still just 26, the coaching company Biggs started at 16 — with his brother Gary and best pal Gary Daly — begins another chapter. A full-time transition year football programme, in conjunction with Ashfield College, the private Dublin school that numbers Gavin Bazunu among its alumni.