Lisa Fallon: Irish football finally reaping the benefits of playing the long game

As the first international football windows of 2022 approach, it’s positive to see that Stephen Kenny’s contract has finally been agreed and confirmed.

This week’s announcement ensures that Kenny can press on with his football plans with scope for the medium term, in an industry that is so often driven by short-term needs.

Football management is truly unique.

Unlike almost every other industry, where you get a job and then work to do the job; in football, the minute you get the job, you are working to keep the job.

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There’s a saying in football that you are only ever three defeats away from being sacked. With midweek games, that can be a week.

For some generations of Irish fans, the memories of Euro '88 will live eternally, and a Euro summer stint in Germany would be such a tonic for all of Irish football

When operating under that type of pressure, it is impossible for managers not to focus almost solely on winning the next game, the one after that, and the one after that.

Looking further ahead could potentially cost you your position. It’s why there can, at times, be a lack of medium- or long-term vision in clubs and organisations.

The results of the flagship teams have huge repercussions for the organisation/club, so those teams have to deliver in the short-term.

But you must define what success looks like before you embark on the path to achieving it.

In so doing, their successes facilitate the investments into resources and delivery of strategy behind the scenes, which in turn should create sustainable pathways for continued success.

Resilience

In enduring a challenging first term in office, Kenny has built a resilience in the senior team and has created a clear vision for his reign. He needed the performances to translate into results to give him the platform to keep his job. That’s the nature of it.

Now he has the opportunity to map a pathway to the European Championships in Germany in 2024 by focusing on the games and how we will beat different opposition that will ask his team to find different ways to win.

He has said the time for experimenting is complete, that he knows what he has now. This is such an important place to be from a game strategy perspective.

It's a vision the whole country wants to buy in to. The FAI has reported record season ticket sales for 2022, a year in which there are no marquee competitive matches.

Even for players who do sign professional contracts in the UK, unless you are a top player with a top club, then the salaries can be modest

Irish football fans are buying in with their hearts and their pockets and it’s not just the men’s national team that are experiencing it. Some League of Ireland games will sell out again this week as the growing appetite for Irish football continues its surging momentum.

For some generations of Irish fans, the memories of Euro ’88 will live eternally, and a Euro summer stint in Germany would be such a tonic for all of Irish football.

The women’s national team is on the same trajectory, albeit probably slightly further down the line.

After a spell of consecutive defeats, they have put together an impressive string of results and, under manager Vera Pauw, are another team with a clear vision of what this qualifying campaign is all about: qualifying.

Ambition

The women's national team have a headline sponsor in Sky Ireland, Cadbury is on board in addition to others, and the ambition of this team is to qualify for a major international tournament for the first time in Irish history.

You need the vision and need to commit to it, then everything can be purposeful. With a huge game against Sweden in sight, before Georgia, Finland and Slovakia come onto the horizon, Ireland now must focus on winning those games.

And more support is in place to help the players to have that focus.

With opportunities to earn a solid living in women’s football still limited when compared to the men’s game, the announcement this week of Sky’s bursary of at least €25,000 to assist five female players in the Ireland squad with academic studies or career development is a most welcome initiative.

Even for players who do sign professional contracts in the UK, unless you are a top player with a top club, then the salaries can be modest and would only ensure a standard of living, but not an opportunity to provide for their futures.

But qualification would be the ultimate game-changer.

The pressure on delivering results is therefore crucial.

Because only results will deliver the vision.