LOI academy system lagging behind in key areas

The League of Ireland academy system is lagging behind lower-ranked nations in terms of staffing and contact hours, according to an audit, which also highlights the need for substantial investment in infrastructure.

The audit, funded and supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, and conducted by Belgian specialists Double Pass, shows that the academy system in Ireland trails behind countries ranked 51-100 in the men's and women's FIFA rankings. It also highlights the requirement for greater contact hours for players and the need for full-time staff at clubs.

Less than half (46%) of League of Ireland clubs employ a full-time academy director, compared to 60% of clubs in countries ranked 51-100. Only 4% of clubs here have a full-time head of coaching, as against 46% in those lower-ranked associations.

Tellingly, 0% of LOI clubs have a minimum of four full-time academy coaches compared to 36% of clubs in the aforementioned FIFA-ranked countries.

The report highlighted an over reliance on volunteer coaches compared to international competitors and the lack of training sessions for academy players, with comparable nations training two sessions per week more than our male and female players at U-16 to U-21 level.

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Indoor facilities are a major issue with only 23% of LOI academies having access compared to 61-81% in international benchmarks, limiting year-round training options.

As for recommendations, Double Pass has called for investment in training infrastructure to close significant facility gaps. In order to professionalise the domestic game, it calls for the creation of full-time roles to aid talent development and enhance the quality of the player pathway. The implementation of dedicated full-time football development and education programme post Junior Cycle is also among their recommendations.

In welcoming the findings from the audit, Mark Scanlon, League of Ireland, director, said: "As volunteers, players and staff around our LOI academies dedicate themselves week in week out to their development, the publication of this report is welcomed by the League of Ireland to show the challenges facing our system as we compete internationally in the biggest sport in the world.

"The recent success in the League of Ireland across attendances, sporting achievements and player development, shows the remarkable work that is done in our academies every week on extremely limited resources and the excellent work done by Double Pass shows not just the severe shortfalls in our system but the huge potential that lies within Irish football. In order to achieve this potential it's vital that all stakeholders work together to develop our academy system."

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