A breakaway group called the Grassroots Amateur Football Clubs of Ireland — representing 20 leagues across 15 counties — has been formed in opposition to the Football Association of Ireland’s (FAI) proposed shift to a calendar-year season.
Under the FAI’s player pathways plan, all competitions from grassroots to the League of Ireland are expected to transition to a January to December format by 2028.
“We were recently established with the sole mandate from our clubs to campaign for our leagues to have ‘the right of choice’ to schedule their season in the winter season or summer season or both,” wrote Grassroots chairwoman Sarah Duffy from the Wicklow District League in a letter to members.
“This right was removed by the FAI General Assembly resolution passed in December 2024.”
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At present, 68 per cent of the 72 leagues across the country continue to follow the traditional September to June schedule.
The pathways plan met further resistance last Saturday when the Schoolboys’ and Girls’ Association of Ireland (SFAI) decided to retain their season in line with the school year. In response, the FAI are expected to withdraw funding for the SFAI and its 32 leagues, representing approximately 100,000 children across the country.
According to the SFAI, financial penalties are already in place. A letter sent to Gaynor Cup and Kennedy Cup squads last week noted a €3,000 increase in costs per team attending the national under-14 tournaments at the University of Limerick in June. The total cost per squad is now estimated at €9,000.
FAI grassroots director Ger McDermott said on Wednesday morning that no decision has been made regarding direct grants to the SFAI. However, that organisation informed its affiliates that funding is “contingent” on alignment with the calendar plan.
“We support the overall vision of the Football Pathways Plan,” said SFAI chairman Pádraic Clarke. “However, we believe that beginning with an enforced aligned season is counterproductive. It has uncorked overwhelming anger and created an atmosphere that’s impossible to work in.
“The SFAI intervened to underwrite significant percentages of the cost increases [for participation in the Gaynor and Kennedy Cups], but this approach is not sustainable in the short term.”
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The FAI countered by highlighting the flexibility of the pathways plan, with a provision to split the season into four blocks to address the migration of children to camogie and Gaelic football during the summer months.
For example, one Gaynor Cup squad has seven players who are also on the county camogie panel. The FAI believe that clubs should operate “blitz tournaments” with the drop in numbers leading to as little as “three versus three games” until the leagues fully restart in August.
The association remain adamant that their alignment strategy will lead to increased participation “in better weather and on better pitches”.
However, at grassroots level, under-14 coaches preparing teams for the Gaynor and Kennedy Cups have warned that parents will feel the cost of the FAI defunding the SFAI.
“We asked for around €220 per child last year, but that could increase to €450, without funding from the league, as we face a rise in insurance and other costs,” they said.
“We are already competing with Gaelic football and camogie 12 months of the year, as our players want to play [representative soccer] and for their county team.
“You move soccer to summer and I’d say 50 to 60 per cent of the girls will be gone, if they have to choose. A lot of our girls play soccer to stay fit for GAA.”
