Former Republic of Ireland international Méabh de Búrca said the FAI's decision to disband its Emerging Talent Programme is a major blow to aspiring male and female Irish footballers.
At its AGM last Saturday, the association confirmed the programme would no longer be continuing as part of wider financial cuts, with a greater responsibility on clubs to develop talented young players.
The programme was launched in 2006 for girls and boys aged 12 to 15 years old. It boasts several high-profile graduates, including Troy Parrott, who scored four goals for AZ Alkmaar in their hammering of SC Heerenveen in the Eredivisie at the weekend.
De Búrca, capped 52 times for her country, was also part of the programme in her formative years, and fears it is a damaging step backwards.
"That was the biggest disappointment I think that I took away from (the AGM)," she told the RTÉ Soccer Podcast.
"I would have been one of the first years of the Emerging Talent Programme.
"At that stage we were mixed in with the boys and it was pivotal to my own development as an international. They're putting the onus now back on the League of Ireland clubs but at that crucial age between 12 and 15, I think they originally had 12 Emerging Talent centres across the country, that had been cut previously to eight and now it's cut completely.
"I think that's huge, putting that entire onus on the clubs isn't good enough. You're not getting the best players in the region training together and that is how the standards are going to be raised.
"I think something like that isn't taking a huge amount of the funding. It could have been taken maybe from other areas that aren't as pivotal in the development of the players."
Former St Pat's and Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper Barry Murphy echoed those sentiments, and also pointed to Iceland's investment in their grassroots after they enjoyed a breakthrough appearance at Euro 2016.
"They haven't said what they're going to do to replace it, what's going in instead of it," said Murphy.
"You look at the fruits of what has come from the Emerging Talent Programme, you're probably only seeing the fruit now, coming though the Under-19s and Under-21s who have got good players now.
"It's gone back on the clubs. Looking at the Iceland model, every centre, every community area has this new pitch built and new community centre built. I think it was 50% of the Euros money they got that time they beat England, that era, went on facilities for infrastructure.
"You had to keep kids in that area and they had to use that facility so there were no players going to the bigger clubs too early, where the top two or three teams were the best teams in the country. It was spread out all over the country, and so the funds were spread out all over the country.
"That's just not done here. That was one of the shining lights of the FAI era, the Emerging Talent Programme. It's just thrown to the side now."
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