FAI Football Pathways Program

This can only be positive, GAA basically runs all year round now so competing with it either way. Even if it reduces participation it can only improve the standards, playing through the winter in absolute bogs means only one way of playing and that's to launch it from the back. Virtually impossible to develop technically in them conditions and if good enough, you would imagine that in the early ten years someone would choose soccer over GAA as there's a potential for a career out of it. 

Kids shouldn't be playing football in the winter months. It's an absolute shambles. 

Edited by horsebox - 21 Feb 2024 at 10:41am

Futsal in the winter is an absolute no brainer with the amount of unused school and parish halls around the country. The plan overall seems like a great idea and as someone doing their coaching badges at the moment and coaching kids teams its a welcome plan. The one thing it lacks any detail on is addressing the lack of UEFA qualified coaches in the country. Doing your badges in Ireland probably no surprise to anyone is very expensive compared to most of our counterparts.  If prices are not going to come down then we need to consolidate the coaching badges into levels like the FA but also try and avoid the situation they have where its almost impossible to go above a certain level without having played professional. Iceland recognised hey had the same issues and if I'm not mistaken anyone over the age of 10 can only be coached by a UEFA licensed coach. That's where we need to get too but that's a long way off. Coaching structure needs a massive overhaul. Use Spain Belgium and Germany as the ideal models to follow.

1. Bring the cost down of where possible and merge workshops that cost 40- 70 euro each in to 2 levels before the UEFA C. Cost needs to be more manageable to encourage more coaches at youth level to progress and go further.

The gap between the National D license and the UEFA C licence is too big a gap and needs to be addressed.

horsebox wrote: The gap between the National D license and the UEFA C licence is too big a gap and needs to be addressed. There are too many unqualified coaches coaching at grass roots level.  Coaching is like driving in this country - unqualified coaches coaching at grass roots level and drivers on learning permits driving on main roads! All clubs should have a director of coaching and small clubs should partner up with bigger clubs for this. My son locals club the most qualified coach at the club most likely has as PDP1. My mate lives in the US and all the local grassroots coaches at his club are all UEFA A coaches - all of them.

MC Hammered wrote: horsebox wrote: The gap between the National D license and the UEFA C licence is too big a gap and needs to be addressed. There are too many unqualified coaches coaching at grass roots level.  Coaching is like driving in this country - unqualified coaches coaching at grass roots level and drivers on learning permits driving on main roads! All clubs should have a director of coaching and small clubs should partner up with bigger clubs for this. My son locals club the most qualified coach at the club most likely has as PDP1. My mate lives in the US and all the local grassroots coaches at his club are all UEFA A coaches - all of them. Interesting. I'm keen to start my badges. I've a 3 year old who is doing SoccerTots etc but I'll be bringing him to a local football club when he is old enough next year. This is a very basic question but is it a linear pathway through the coaching structure or should I be looking at the likes of Futsal courses (is that a thing that exists?).

it's basically a good plan for Dublin and other urban areas where population is plenty. It will destroy football in rural Ireland. You are going up the machine of the GAA. Tis grand going up against the Egg crowd etc. but you wont beat the GAA in rural Ireland unfortunately. 

Mush Cassidys Donkey wrote: it's basically a good plan for Dublin and other urban areas where population is plenty. It will destroy football in rural Ireland. You are going up the machine of the GAA. Tis grand going up against the Egg crowd etc. but you wont beat the GAA in rural Ireland unfortunately.

Mush Cassidys Donkey wrote: it's basically a good plan for Dublin and other urban areas where population is plenty. It will destroy football in rural Ireland. You are going up the machine of the GAA. Tis grand going up against the Egg crowd etc. but you wont beat the GAA in rural Ireland unfortunately.