The victory of the Irish soccer team in the Under-18 European Championships last night represents one of the great moments in Irish sport. The drama of last night's thrilling penalty shoot-out will linger long in the memory of all who witnessed it. This was an Irish success built on courage and no little skill. Every one of the players deserve the greatest credit. But this was also a remarkable victory for a remarkable man, the Irish coach Brian Kerr. His record of achievement with the Irish under-age soccer teams may never be surpassed; European champions at both under 16 and under 18 level and bronze medallists in the World under-20 championships last year.
In his moment of victory, Brian Kerr made one very salient point. This was, he said, a victory for all those people who coach and train schoolboy teams all over this State without the kind of facilities that other European states take for granted. In truth, the success of Irish under-age soccer has been achieved despite, rather than because of, any assistance from the State. The level of grant aid to schoolboy soccer is pitifully inadequate: changing and training facilities are among the worst in Europe. There is little sense that the State is actively encouraging the sport and the tens of thousands who play it at grassroots level.
The FAI must bear some responsibility for this but successive governments all have questions to answer. There may be few nations who are as passionate in their support for their sporting heroes but its importance in Irish life is rarely reflected around the cabinet table. The hope is that Ireland's success at under age level will now percolate through to the senior international team who has still to recover the success of the Charlton era.
Jack Charlton's legacy to Irish soccer was to generate interest and enthusiasm for the game at all levels; all of those who played last night were young schoolboys during the halcyon days of Italia '90. The success of the international team during the Charlton era was not, however, reflected at under-age level where Ireland performed poorly. When Jack Charlton and some of the stalwarts of his team departed, the cupboard of young talent was very bare. Brian Kerr has changed all this bringing a new level of dedication and professionalism to under-age soccer and transforming Ireland into world beaters.
Inevitably, there must be some caution in the wake of last night's success. Only a small minority of under-age stars come to make a real impact at senior international level. For all that, the omens appear propitious. Several of the young starlets who played so magnificently last night are already on the fringes of first team football in England. Some like Robbie Keane of Wolves have already enjoyed a taste of senior international football. For the first time in Irish soccer history, there is a veritable production line of young talent coming through the system. Ireland may not have qualified for the World Cup in France this summer. But our young footballers are poised to make a real impact at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea. Suddenly, the future looks very bright.