Gavin Cooney

THE SCHOOLBOYS/GIRLS’ FOOTBALL Association of Ireland (SFAI) has accused the FAI of withdrawing funding for their marquee Kennedy and Gaynor Cup competitions amid the wider row about a proposed move to an aligned calendar season. 

The SFAI says the lack of funding from the FAI means leagues’ entry fees for each competition will sharply rise from €2,000 to €5,400 per competition. 

In correspondence to their affiliated leagues last week, seen by The 42, SFAI chairman Padraic Clarke wrote that progress on securing the FAI’s portion of funding for the competition had “stalled”, and that conversations were mostly centred on the FAI’s pathways plan and its recommendation that the whole of the game move to an aligned calendar. 

Clarke wrote the main questions raised included, “What steps is the SFAI taking to align national competitions with the ‘calendar season’ model?”, and “How do we plan to implement the FPP as a whole?”

“It was made clear that funding is contingent on addressing these points – there was no ambiguity around it all,” claimed Clarke. 

The 42 asked the FAI whether the SFAI’s allegation is true, but they declined to comment.

The representative Kennedy and Gaynor Cups are U14 competitions and are held at the University of Limerick. This year’s editions are slated to run from 9 to 13 June.

The Kennedy and Gaynor Cups have a rich history and traditionally attracted scouts from across the UK and beyond to assess young talent. Their lustre have dimmed in recent years, partly owing to the impact of Brexit along with other internal issues, one of which led the DDSL – the most successful side in the history of the Kennedy Cup – to be denied entry to last year’s competition. 

In his letter to affiliates, Clarke said the SFAI are “navigating a complex situation with multiple pressures,” in relation to running the competitions without FAI funding, and say the additional financial ask of competing leagues is something “have been striving to avoid and never wished to encounter.”

Citing increased accommodation costs, the SFAI have told leagues that the basic cost per team has now risen to €2,400, with another €3,000 also necessary in absence of the FAI’s funding. 

These figures were confirmed by Clarke in a subsequent letter to affiliates this week, in which he apologised for the length of his initial email. “Apologies if it was overly long – it was meant to keep everyone informed, though it may have included a hint of venting,” wrote Clarke. 

In his initial email, Clarke said the SFAI support the “overall vision” of the FAI’s Pathways Plan,  but added the SFAI “believe that beginning with an enforced aligned season is counterproductive, it has uncorked overwhelming anger and created an atmosphere that’s impossible to work in.”

Moving the underage and adult amateur seasons in line with the League of Ireland season is a key piece of the FAI’s new player pathways plan. Ireland is the only country in Europe which runs different calendars at different levels of the game, and the FAI want to align the calendars to create a unified football pyramid at senior level along with providing more opportunities for players to play at all levels. 

Certain clubs and leagues across the country have met the move with strong opposition, citing concerns about a loss of players if soccer is pitted head-to-head with the GAA season. 

The pathways plan and aligned calendar move was approved unanimously approved by the FAI board – which includes elected representatives from the SFAI – and then passed by a slim majority at a vote among the FAI’s General Assembly. 

There are currently 22 leagues playing the aligned calendar in Ireland, with another 47 playing the winter season. Twelve of those 47 are moving to the aligned calendar, with 35 currently not budging.