Effects of Brexit start to kick in
THE Republic of Ireland Under 17s are demonstrating what Brexit has already done to Irish football. It is remarkable, and a notable break from Ireland’s footballing past, that none of the youngsters named in Colin O’Brien’s squad are based in England.
There was just one British connection — Rocco Vata of Celtic — but otherwise this marks a new era for Irish football in the aftermath of the UK’s departure from the European Union.
Irish players under the age of 18 are no longer allowed to sign for British clubs due to FIFA’s rules which ban the international transfer of minors.
Moving between EU nations between 16 and 18 does not count as an international transfer and players like ex-Shamrock Rovers wunderkind Kevin Zefi have headed over to Inter in Italy.
There are minor exceptions: Bohemians talent Evan Ferguson departed for Brighton earlier this year as he has a British mother, and he’s already made his senior debut for the Seagulls in the Carabao Cup.
Without doubt, the League of Ireland has immediately benefitted from this shift away from a decades-old practice.
Gifted Irish youngsters are no longer making the trip across the Irish Sea as soon as they turn 16 and that’s allowed some of the younger generation to make their impact at senior level in the LOI.
Sligo Rovers’ Johnny Kenny along with St Patrick’s Athletic’s Darragh Burns and Ben McCormack are just three of the best teenage stars who are lighting up the Premier Division due to these new rules.
Kenny, who only turned 18 over the summer, is subject to interest from Celtic but exposure to the men’s game has accelerated his game far quicker than if he was stuck in U18s or U23s football over in Britain. That trio is just the beginning, as 17-year-olds like Shamrock Rovers’ Aidomo Emkahu, Bohemians’ Jamie Mullins, and James Abankwah of St Pat’s will all be getting more exposure in the 2022 campaign rather than going across to England. Pat’s are a fine example of this new trend, as we’ve seen the fruits of their investment in youth mixed along with an experienced squad featuring LOI stalwarts like Chris Forrester, Ian Bermingham, Robbie Benson and Paddy Barrett. The Premier and First Divisions are set to become even more fresh-faced with a further influx of promising starlets.
Seeing Ireland’s next generation prosper will ensure the two divisions are more interesting. Someone like Gavin Bazunu, already an elite goalkeeper at age 19, would stay in the league rather than jumping ship after hitting 16.
While Brexit is broadly a good thing for the LOI, it would be naive to suggest that it’s universally positive for Irish football, however investment is badly needed.
It’s fine keeping our best talents at home but those players need proper coaching, facilities, and elite development pathways.
The entire nation has just a handful of full-time youth coaches, which isn’t enough.
While schoolboy clubs have picked up the slack for some time, there is an extremely low level of youth development across the League of Ireland.The foundation of the U14s, U15s, U17s and U19s national league systems has been widely praised but that form of restructuring only goes so far.
Former players and coaches have repeatedly said that contact time and hours spent training need to go up for young teenagers taking part in elite development programmes.
Unfortunately if we want proper improvement, the State will have to pay up. Athlone Town manager Paul Doolin admitted as much on the LOI Central podcast this week, stating that training facilities need to be upgraded urgently across the nation.
The medium-term future of the standard of play in the LOI may be bright, but these young players need the right guidance in order to drive all of Irish football forward.
The effects of Brexit have been on the cards since 2016 but there is still so much to be done in order to keep up with our European rivals.