The FAI’s strategic plan for 2026 to 2029 will “tap into” funding from wealthy Irish expatriates to improve football facilities across the country, according to chief executive David Courell.
The initial aim is to generate €15 million in donations from high-net worth individuals, via a newly formed limited company called the Global Ireland Football Foundation (Giff).
Additional funding, outside Government grants and traditional revenue streams, is the focus of a new strategy document, entitled “It’s time to change the game”. For example, only €122 million has been raised of a targeted €863 million sought for infrastructure improvements by 2038.
Some of the information contained in the 87-page booklet provides stark reading: 62 per cent of Irish football clubs do not have female toilets while FAI headquarters on the national sports campus requires €6 million to upgrade of facilities for international teams.
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Launching the document, Courell explained that it is time for a “reset for the association after the transformation plan.”
The “transformation” that took place last year reduced staff to about 200 people following 63 job cuts, with 48 voluntary and 15 compulsory redundancies.
“Sadly,” said Courell, “these compulsory redundancies will be confirmed this week.”
Courell revealed the association’s debt of €37.5 million will be reduced to €25 million by 2029 with an influx of revenue guaranteed from co-hosting Euro 2028.
On the possibility of the FAI revisiting the 10-year period up to 2018 when billionaire Denis O’Brien paid the salary of the men’s Ireland manager and his assistant coach, Courell replied: “Absolutely not.”
Giff has direct links on its board to the Ireland Funds, which was founded in 1976 by Tony O’Reilly and Dan Rooney, the former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, to “harness the power of a global philanthropic network of friends of Ireland”.
“[Giff] is an independent company separate from the association,” Courell explained. “We have two of our board members who sit on it, Tony Keohane and Paul Cooke.
“This is exclusively for facilities, completely separate to the FAI. No money that comes in will benefit the FAI. It will be distributed to clubs or facilities around the country to support them.
“It has been bolstered by the appointment of an independent chair, Colin Ryan, who is chief strategy officer for Qualcomm, one of the biggest chip manufacturers in the world.”
Ryan previously spent 25 years at Goldman Sachs.
“Colin is a very keen football fan and investor in Salford City, spending his time between the US and Ireland,” Courell continued. “Susan Whelan has also joined. The ex-CEO of Leicester City FC, Susan just concluded 15 years at Leicester. And we have Ray Wilson who is a significant investor in Shamrock Rovers based in Australia. Another three appointments are to come.”
Ryan, Whelan and Wilson are all members of the Ireland Funds.
“Philanthropy in Ireland is improving. However, there is an international market, and the diaspora that Ireland offers that we want to tap into.
“The Ireland Funds is 50 years in existence. They tap into the diaspora across different markets to garner investments to pump back into Irish systems. That is what we are partnering with by virtue of Colin, Susan and Ray. We feel we are perfectly positioned to optimise that avenue.”
The FAI’s overall aims on the pitch are ambitious with a top-20 Uefa ranking for the men’s senior team (currently 31st) and top 15 for Carla Ward’s women’s team (currently 21st) the target within three years.
“There are 55 members of Uefa and, sadly, Irish football is the third most underperforming nation,” added Courell. “That is a fact. And that is why the strategy is called ‘change the game’.”
Part of the change is the modernisation of Ireland’s underage coaching structures with 10 new appointments, five of whom are still to be confirmed, working on two-year contracts. Similar to the system used in Spain, an Ireland under-16 coach would stay with the group until after the under-17 World Cup when his or her performance would be reassessed.
On Israel’s military action in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran since the FAI confirmed they would host Israel at the Aviva Stadium in a Uefa-sanctioned Nations League game on October 4th, Courell stated: “If there are ongoing developments on the international geopolitical sphere, that is a matter for the Irish State.
“And as things stand, there are no sanctions against the Israeli state. The decision whether or not these fixtures are fulfilled rests with us, and we continue to maintain that they will be fulfilled.”
