Government support crucial to strategy, says Kerr

Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr says the FAI, the Government and the Sports Council have to take financial responsibility for the full implementation of the FAI's expansive Technical Development Plan which was launched in Dublin yesterday.

The association's 88-page document, Football for the Future, outlines the strategy for player development for the next five years.

The FAI chief executive, Fran Rooney, said the cost of implementing it would start at €3 million per year, rising to €7 million per year within the five years.

The plan's stated objective "provides the clearest possible vision of how the FAI, working with the football community in Ireland, can extend its already extensive programme of work and transform the way the game is developed into the future".

Its main objectives include: defining a clear pathway for the development of Irish players; increasing the quality and quantity of coaches, referees and administrators through an extensive programme of education, training and resources at local, regional and national level; and increasing grassroots participation.

"All along during this process I think the Sports Council has been very impressed by the programmes we've put in place," said Kerr. "I hope that that has filtered through to the Government. The FAI are aware that to sustain progress and being competitive at international level, and improve our standing at club level, it's about putting these structures in place and supporting them.

"How much (money) is going to be available, I don't know, but I see that as crucial."

Kerr complimented ex-Irish international goalkeeper Packie Bonner, his successor as technical director, and the NCTC (National Coaching and Training Centre) for their work in putting the plan together.

"It seems ages ago that we had the first meetings with Pat Duffy and the people in the NCTC about the idea of trying to put a structure exactly on how we needed to develop the game on the football side. I'm delighted on where we've got to today," said Kerr.

"The direction we were given by the NCTC was crucial, because I think we've seen plans from other sports organisations where they've come up with a strategy for the future only for it to be knocked back by the grassroots or administrators who felt they weren't consulted about it.

"The key thing is the player-centred approach to it. It's about what suits the player best. If we can change the type of training, the type of coaching, the type of management.

"Coaches and managers understood that to some degree. That administrators didn't understand it was the problem. They do now because of the consultation workshops around the country.

"That education process has to continue. It's not appropriate for under-10s to be playing 11-a-side football on a full size pitch against the wind and rain up a hill on a surface that's rough and mucky. That's not clever and it's not going to develop players."