'Most important 50 jobs in Irish football': FAI hail academy industry stimulus

Will Clarke during an LOI Academy Media Briefing at FAI Headquarters. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile

FAI academy guru Will Clarke believes the 42 new developmental jobs at clubs are the most important roles in Irish football for the next decade.

Years of lobbying the Government to create a football industry last October manifested in the first €3m tranche of funding towards appointing at least one dedicated full-time staff member to the function.

Under the three-year pledge, the 20 men’s LOI clubs, split evenly between the Premier and First Division, are entitled to access grants towards recruiting an academy director and head of academy. 

Contributions from the exchequer total €43,500 and €38,500 per annum respectively but the FAI confirmed all clubs have topped up the salaries from their own resources.

The two standalone members of the women’s league, Peamount United and DLR Waves, can access funds to appoint one of those roles.

State agency Sport Ireland delegated the selection process to the FAI.

That entailed interviewing contenders which has produced a panel of 34 academy directors and 29 heads of academies.

From there, clubs must interview three of the panellists before negotiating a minimum contract length of three years with their preferred choice.

Of those, 67% of the list have been recruited by clubs without timelines being imposed.

As the list reopens twice per year to fresh applicants, clubs can wait until who they deem most qualified becomes available to open negotiations.

Among the academy directors to be appointed are Colin O’Brien (Cork City), Johnny Dunleavy (Waterford), Stephen Henderson (Cobh Ramblers) Keith Long (Shelbourne) and Alan Moore (Bohemians).

Most of Clarke’s annual media briefings since joining the FAI in 2021 have focussed on the challenges facing the Irish system to produce talent in the post-Brexit era.

His warnings about the shrinking talent pool for the senior men’s Ireland team, aided by former ministers Michael Ring and Dermot Ahern opening doors inside Leinster House in their new positions as football activists, was integral to the State ringfencing their first-ever envelope for elite football.

Their guaranteed €3m yearly pot – until 2028, for now – is still less than half the €8m Clarke quantified as essential to ‘close the gap’ on their European peers in terms of investment.

FAI estimates span 11 years until the system becomes self-sufficient without relying on the taxpayer.

That’s through nurturing a supply of talent from U14 upwards, including several exports ultimately commanding the types of €2m fees Shamrock Rovers could entice from Arsenal for Victor Ozhianvuna.

“We’ll soon have 50 jobs which are probably the most important in Irish football over the next 10 years,” asserted Clarke, whose own department will benefit from the funding with five additional staff.

“There are no shortcuts, nods, winks or knowing such and such. I said to all candidates that it is up to them to prepare properly for the interviews.

“Candidates who were complacent and didn’t get selected the first time around were much better prepared the second time around. These are serious jobs.” 

What the FAI insist they are serious about is redressing the gender balance.

A mere three of the 63 successful applicants are female, a paucity noted by Minister of State for Sport, Charlie McConalogue in April. Academy directors at Bray Wanderers (Áine O’Gorman) and Treaty United (Irene Hehir) are outliers.

“We’ve contacted 200 former women’s internationals, encouraging them to apply,” explained Clarke. “However, the feedback established three main reasons for the low uptakes – the fixed term contracts, existing job security and some already working elsewhere within football.”