GA A model could be way for soccer
Top coach Gerry Spain tells Terry Conlon that the FAI must act swiftly to fix soccer’s broken system
FORMER Dundalk coach Gerry Spain feels a model along the lines operated by the GAA should be adopted in soccer to cure a development system that is no longer working.
For inspiration, he believes we should be looking to a country like Uruguay, which has a similar size of population and yet is a four-time winner of the World Cup and is renowned for producing top-quality players like Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
‘The whole system is broken and obviously it doesn’t take a genius to work that out. We are not producing (top) players,’ said Gerry, recalling in the years when Ireland competed in the World Cup and European Championship Finals they drew players from the top clubs in England. The present squad, by comparison, is comprised in the main of players who are playing outside the top tier and largely unknown.
As a result his former boss Stephen Kenny has an invidious task in trying to guide his squad to qualify for the World Cup, and the team’s chances are already hanging by a thread after losing their first two qualifying matches.
The national boss has experienced nothing but wretched luck since he took over from Mick McCarthy, when the most important ingredient any manager needs is fortune to be favourable, says Gerry.
‘But if somebody has a positive mindset it is him,’ said Gerry, referencing Dundalk’s win over Bate Borisov as an example of what can be achieved. ‘His positive mindset is infectious and players buy into that’
The dearth of talent has been brought home to Gerry over the past 12 months as he watched those glory years in TV programmes broadcast while there was little or no sport because of the pandemic.
Trying to entice players with Irish heritage to play for the country has failed in recent years, notably in the cases of Jack Grealish, Patrick Bamford and Declan Rice and Gerry believes: ‘We have to try and build our own house.
‘As a country we need to restructure. France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium have all done this since 1988 and the move has proven to be successful. Try going along the GAA model and you won’t go too far wrong.’
What Gerry advocates is designing a pyramid system which will provide younger players with more game time. They would play with their clubs on a Saturday or Sunday and then the better ones would play for their county on either of the two days at the weekend in an inter-county programme, in a similar format to the Gaelic system. This immediately doubles their training and game time.
The better county players will then move into a regional squad and from there to the next level as part of a national squad.
‘It’s a fluid system that this country is familiar with and one which wouldn’t be expensive to operate, which is relevant at the minute considering the lack of money the FAI and most League of Ireland clubs have.
‘The best players have to play against the best to be the best of the best.
‘For me the League of Ireland clubs have to prioritise the 16 to 23 age bracket initially. It is no good developing players in the 12 to 17 bracket and then they have no clear pathway and drop out of football.
‘If clubs then sell a player like Gavin Bazunu, Matt Doherty or Seamus Coleman that money can be used to develop the Academy at younger ages.’
Players from the age of 10 would stay with their clubs until 16, at which point League of Ireland clubs would take on the responsibility for advancing the development of the more promising players and facilitating the progression of home-based players like Chris Shields whose talent blossomed into their 20s, and Richie Towell who returned home from England.
Gerry feels this set-up should be piloted for five years, and then reviewed and tweaked as seen fit, but he is not in favour of an all-encompassing plan all the way up from age 10. One good reason is that, with the exception of Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk, neither League of Ireland clubs nor the FAI are likely to have the money to finance it.
Gerry compliments Stephen McPhail on the job that he is doing and feels that Shamrock Rovers are on the right track in regard to youth development. He sees the value of a “B” league to develop young players, creating a League of Ireland third division in which clubs can enter reserve teams made up of younger players.
It’s a matter, says Gerry of ‘getting every
body together and working in the same direction to improve and raise standards’.
‘I don’t think it would work successfully by taking on too much at the same time. I think it is more important to sort a pathway for (ages) 16 to 23. When you get that organised you can get working then down the other end.’
Gerry sees definite advantages of the GAA model, and indeed is mystified that the crossover of skills that has worked so successfully from Gaelic football to rugby has not transferred to soccer.
He especially would have imagined that in one position the country would have been well endowed in is goalkeeping, with the GAA’s primary handling, jumping and other skills so suitable to be refined and adapted to soccer.
Strangely, goalkeeper is a position that the country and the League of Ireland have struggled to produce quality exponents of for some time. Yet Germany is renowned for producing top-ranking goalkeepers like Manuel Neuer, who is following a succession of top netminders down the years. Gerry partially credits Olympic handball for developing goalkeeper skills in that country.
He thinks it is ridiculous to suggest young players should not play Gaelic football as the participation in multiple sports is a known way to help skill development.
Another position where the country has fallen down badly is in producing quality goalscorers, the current struggle to find a replacement for Robbie Keane highlighting the issue.
Gerry feels that one way to address this is allowing youngsters to experience the joy of scoring, therein boosting their confidence to master the art. Notwithstanding that it could entail multiple mis-hits and misses, but would help them to refine their talent.
This is more likely to happen at the youngster’s own club playing against lesser opposition than at a higher level against tougher opposition when the chances to score are at a premium.
Gerry is also wary of the harm of assessing and rating the prospects of players at a young age and conscious of mistakes made in that sphere and how growth spurts impact on them.
He points to the locally created and managed company STATSport as an example of how the country is at the frontline of the growing role technology plays in sport.
‘There is no reason why Ireland can’t be at the forefront of the sport. Look at Uruguay, with a population of 3.4 million. How many World Cups have they?
‘They produce players like Louis Suarez and Edinson Cavani. What they are doing in Uruguay, why can’t we do it here?’
FOR ME THE LEAGUE OF IRELAND CLUBS HAVE TO PRIORITISE THE 16 TO 23 AGE BRACKET INITIALLY. IT IS NO GOOD DEVELOPING PLAYERS IN THE 12 TO 17 BRACKET AND THEN THEY HAVE NO CLEAR PATHWAY AND DROP OUT OF FOOTBALL