THE GOVERNMENT WILL this morning make what it describes as “the largest-ever funding announcement for sports facilities” in this country.
A headline figure of €230 million in grants will be unveiled by Catherine Martin, Minster for Sport, and Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for Sport.
Paschal Donohue, the Minister for Public Expenditure, will also be in attendance at Cambridge Football Club in Ringsend.
A little later in the afternoon, around the corner in Dublin 4, FAI chief football officer Marc Canham will join grassroots director Ger McDermott in Aviva Stadium for an update on the Football Pathways Plan.
Yet, on the eve of an important juncture, The 42 has learned of confusion and frustration from key figures in League of Ireland academy circles about the progress of the plan.
Added to that, there is also a sense of drift with a permanent FAI chief executive yet to be confirmed almost six months on from Jonathan Hill’s exit.
The Football Pathways Plan was announced in February of this year and the 12-year pathway project is in conjunction with the FAI’s €863 million Facility Investment Vision and Strategy.
Both seek to modernise, indeed revolutionise, all aspects of the game in this country – and do so by 2036. Understandably, there have been some early problems.
For one, the Facility Investment Vision and Strategy was announced in June 2023 by CEO Hill and FAI chairman Roy Barrett. Both have since left the association.
When Canham stood beside Ireland internationals Gavin Bazunu and Aine O’Gorman as part of the photocall for the Pathways Plan, he also had a different title. Up until recently he was director of football, he has since been promoted to chief football officer as the scope of his role grew.
Sources in Abbotstown indicate that Canham’s influence has also strengthened, despite a prolonged manager search for both the senior women’s and men’s positions. He has been able to negotiate a promotion due to key FAI figures fearing he would leave for a role elsewhere.
Despite the fact there is no longer a director of football, Shane Robinson’s title has not changed and he remains assistant director of football.
David Courell has been in situ as interim CEO since 15 April and a permanent appointment has yet to be confirmed.
The 42 understands that Courell’s stock has risen during his caretaker stint and there is somewhat of a split among the decision makers as to what they should do next.
Sarah Keane is to stand down as Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) president at the end of this year and confirmed while in Paris during this summer’s Olympics that she had been contacted by the FAI to apply for the job.
She did, and is understood to be favoured by some in the FAI.
Keane helped reshape all aspects of the Olympic Council of Ireland (including a rebrand) in the aftermath of Rio 2016 and the scandals that emerged.
However, while she is once again in the final mix after previously losing out, Courell is believed to have firmed up his credentials in the eyes of some yet could lose out to an external candidate in what appears to be a three-way battle.
Ian Flanagan was appointed CEO of Munster Rugby five years ago after previously holding the role of commercial director with Premier League club Leicester City.
He is the favoured candidate of some in the FAI but his credentials have not won over others.
This is important politicking taking place in the background while today Canham will once again be at the forefront of the FAI’s plans to modernise on and off the pitch.
A report in the Irish Times earlier this week explained how the FAI “plans to reroute money previously used in the disbanded Emerging Talent Programme (ETP) to increase coaching time for the best 14-to-18-year-olds in the country.”
And The 42 has learned that key figures in the League of Ireland academy system have voiced concerns about the FAI’s methods so far in delivering substantial change.
To give just one example of their concerns, part of the update scheduled for today is due to focus on plans to categorise academies with funding correlated to their status.
It’s understood that eight clubs will receive Category 1 status, but as of yet those clubs are not all aware of their status for 2025.
It was earlier this year that the FAI informed clubs that an audit of academies would take place in the second half of 2024, but sources have informed The 42 that no criteria has yet to be given and these audits have not been completed.
Some have not even taken place, and the academy season finishes at the end of next month.
Budgets with club boards and attempts to determine their own strategic plans for academy set-ups are in a state of flux with uncertainty regarding not just how much funding will be available but how it will actually be allocated.
The FAI knows that funding is coming from the Government.
It was in April that Will Clarke, the FAI’s academy manager, explained how €10 million per year would be required to fund the 24 academies throughout the country.
Minister Donohue, who will be present for that announcement of €230m in funding for sports facilities today, met with delegation from the FAI for a more detailed presentation on what is required to fundamentally alter the way Irish footballers are trained as well as the system that is now responsible for doing so.
Those meetings are understood to have been impressive and eye-opening, with the strength and depth of Clarke’s work highlighted.
Minister Donohue may not be alongside Canham at the Aviva Stadium today but his influence with the public purse will be pivotal to how the FAI’s plans are eventually implemented.
