The Football Association of Ireland have published their strategic analysis and vision for the next 15 years, in which the organisation says it requires €863 million to modernise facilities and standards in Ireland.
The report details the infrastructure needs of the sport, with the FAI admitting football has fallen behind the vast majority of Europe in terms of stadia and training facilities.
The €863m sought is over a 15-year period and focuses on the three core areas of grassroots (€426m), League of Ireland (€390m) and international (€47m), and with a proposed funding approach from both public and private sources.
The grassroots investment is for new pitches, upgrades to existing pitches, new and upgraded clubhouses and more multi-sport, community-focused facilities as well as the formation of eight new FAI grassroots regions.
The body say the particular concern at grassroots level is for women's and girls' football "which has experienced exponential growth in popularity but will suffer without investment in facilities, as they will not be able to cater for ongoing demand and growth".
In the report, every county is audited in terms of pitch facilities. Nearly 40% of pitches have temporary dressing-rooms or toilets.
Over 20% of clubs spend less than €1,000 on pitch maintenance per year.
Less than a quarter of shower facilities are 'female friendly' (individual cubicle), if even available.
The report also details Irish football's growing reliance on the League of Ireland, which now develops players from the age of Under-13 and often younger, compared to junior and intermediate clubs in the past.
The FAI say the investment would also support the development of talent in a post-Brexit environment as more young players remain in Ireland. Just 10% of the squad playing in the men’s European Under-17 Championships, which Ireland qualified through to the knockout stages of, play their club football outside of Ireland.
There is also a need for bigger stadiums with many venues sold out on a regular basis as the league becomes more popular and the majority of grounds are currently not fit for purpose.
The report points out that of the 40 best stadiums in Ireland, just three host soccer matches.
The plan is for several phases, beginning with a basic 2,000 seater main stand in every LOI stadium before a minimum capacity of 4,000 at every stadium, scaling up to a possible 15,000 - 20,000 capacity for certain grounds based on the size of the club.
International investment would be for the the development of a National Football Centre and high-quality facilities in order to produce competitive teams at all levels that can qualify for tournaments on a regular basis.
The FAI described the current set-up at Abbotstown as "falling far short of the standard seen in many other European associations".
"In the current facility, there are no changing rooms for players, match officials or staff, no high-performance, medical or sports science facilities.
"In addition, playing surfaces are below standard and include ageing artificial surfaces that need to be replaced."
The proposed basis of funding would be the FAI increasing its own incomes, FIFA and UEFA, "working closely with government to maximise the opportunity around the Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) ahead of its closure" and from the state. The FAI say they are keen to engage more with the government on potential funding sources.
FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill said "We are pleased to unveil our facility and infrastructure strategy today, which was one of the key commitments in our four-year strategy announced in 2021.
"The goal of this strategy is to realise football’s full potential within our grassroots communities, deliver a new future for our League of Ireland, and inspire future generations by creating the environment to support and produce competitive international teams at all levels. We have the opportunity to take decisive action now and create a modern and fit-for-purpose football infrastructure and transform football in this country."
"As the governing body of football in Ireland, we have a responsibility to enable football to flourish, and in doing so to also support the interests of Irish society and the Irish economy. Our vision is to create the infrastructure and facilities that enable Ireland’s number one sport to thrive and deliver a truly transformational impact for Irish football."
The FAI will hold a press briefing around the report later today.
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