DREAM BREAKER
A ‘hard Brexit' would mark the end for young Irish footballers following in the footsteps of our past and present career in England's football leagues
NESTLED neatly in an A4 plastic poly pocket are the pieces of paper which Celtic’s Ireland scout, Eugene Magee, describes as his bible. Ranging from Under 13s upwards, the names of various players from all around the country are categorised by age, position and club.
And just like every other scout in this country, the U14 Kennedy Cup tournament is Magee’s Mecca.
Held over a week in June each year at Limerick University, the 32 different leagues throughout Ireland pick a squad of 20 players to compete against each other. It is where the cream of Ireland’s crop at schoolboy level can be seen over the seven intensive days and it is when Magee, a softly-spoken Dublin northsider, begins updating his database with potential stars who must be monitored.
The rite of passage for elite young Irish footballers will, on the face of it, soon be changed dramatically because of Brexit. That production line to Britain, the days of teenagers getting the boat or on a plane for trials in the hope of earning a contract is set be stopped by decision to leave the European Union (EU).
British Prime Minister Theresa May has spoken about restoring the pre-existent Common Travel Area with Ireland and while those political plans will have to be thrashed out over the coming years, FIFA’s statutes on the matter of transfers involving underage players are more clear cut.
Article 19, which relates to the protection of minors lays it out in black and white that the transfer of those under 18 years is prohibited.
There are three exceptions. The first is that the child’s parents move to the country for non-footballing reasons. The second is that the youngster in question lives within 100 kilometres of the club and the third, which is of most consequence to Ireland and Britain, is transfer of minors aged between 16-18 is permitted provided it’s within the EU or European Economic Area (EEA).
Carol Couse is a lawyer for Mills and Reeve LLP in the UK and explained the potential fall-out: ‘The real impact on Brexit could be the loss of the article 19 exception. This is a provision in the FIFA regulations that allows EU Nationals within the EU or the EEA to move between the ages of 16 and 18.
‘So obviously, in the event that we’re neither a member of the EU or the EA, then there’s a loss of advantage of bringing those young, promising players in at the age of 16, whereas clearly the European competitors may be able to recruit the
players at that age and capture the talent at a younger age.’ While Premier League clubs must plan for the fallout in terms of attracting players from all over the world, a look at some of those named by Martin O’Neill in Ireland squads (provisional ones included) following Euro 2016 shows that while the likes of Séamus Coleman, James McClean, Wes Hoolahan and Shane Long have all experienced League of Ireland football before travelling to clubs in the UK after their 18th birthday, there are plenty who moved beforehand in what is the more traditional route.
Darren Randolph, Paul McShane, John O’Shea, Glenn Whelan, Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady, Stephen Gleeson, Jonny Hayes, Daryl Murphy, Adam Rooney and Robbie Keane all left Ireland before being old enough to buy a pint to celebrate. And that’s before you even mention the plethora who came before them.
‘It is interesting and could prove challenging – even though the British Prime Minister has moved to clarify her position, everyone will still need to see more detail before we can predict what the impact on their sector could be,’ says Fintan Drury, chief executive of the UK based agency Platinum One which specialises in representing young talent.
‘If, as a result of a “hard Brexit”, it is not possible to bring those 16- or 17-year-old Irish players to clubs in England that would have an impact here on those few elite players for whom it would be best to go at that age.’ As Arsenal’s former academy chief, Liam Brady, warns, such a scenario would be a game-changer, and Premier League clubs are already aware of what is coming down the line. ‘It certainly may have repercussions if it meant that boys from Ireland couldn’t go to clubs in England until they were 18. ‘At Arsenal we signed Irish, Italians, Spanish, it’s up in the air now. Premier League clubs know about it but don’t know what’s going to happen.’
At Arsenal we signed Irish, Italians, Spanish, but it’s all up in the air now
Magee, meanwhile, has known and worked with Brady for almost 25 years. The relationship began at Brighton in 1994 and continued for seven years at Arsenal, during which time nine Irish teenagers were brought to the club on trial, six of whom were given scholarship contracts.
There were others whom Magee brought to Arsenal’s attention. Current Ireland internationals Robbie Brady and Jeff Hendrick sampled the environment before agreeing deals with Manchester United and Derby County respectively.
Jack Byrne, another St Kevin’s Boys alumnus went to the Gunners before opting for Manchester City. ‘That’s just how things go,’ Magee admits. ‘It’s a very competitive environment.’
So much so that Chelsea recently let go their Irish scout just before Christmas. The position is still up for grabs but Brexit has brought uncertainty to the football industry just like everywhere else. ‘Platinum One is a UK company so in that respect I look at Brexit from a British perspective and therefore it’s the wider impact on the British economy that is of most concern to me,’ Dubliner Drury adds.
‘The difficulty to now has been not knowing what approach the British government was going to take and what the EU would or might accommodate. Our business model places strong emphasis on the interests of young players but, while Ireland is very important and our Head of Football in Ireland, Graham Barrett, is known for the care he pays to the interests of younger players and their families, we have a large roster of British players as well as some from other parts of Europe. How Brexit will impact the interests of all footballers playing in the British leagues who come from within the EU remains to be seen.’
There is uncertainty but with that comes opportunity, especially for League of Ireland clubs and the FAI, who have plans to establish an U13 National League following the formation of U15, 17 and 19 equiv- alents. These are moves in the right direction and while the infrastructure, both in terms of facilities and coaching, may not be there to capitalise fully in the immediate future now is the time for forward, joined-up thinking.
Niall Quinn is unique in that he knows what it’s like to be a teenager who left Ireland for England – moving to Arsenal in the 1980s – and also in the position of chairman at a Premier League club who must chase the best young talent, as he was with Sunderland in the mid to late Noughties.
‘My advice to any young player in Ireland is to get your education before you go to England. For every Damien Duff or Robbie Keane there are hundreds that don’t make it and it can be a really tough to recover,’ he stresses.
‘If everyone did wait until they were 18 the eventual success rate of players who last the course will be higher. I don’t think there would be the cull we have,’ Quinn feels.
‘There would be different results and we would have stronger men going over, men more secure in themselves and there would be less cause for concern. I do feel guilty when I sit back and think about my time at Sunderland and how we took young boys out of education. If I could go back I wouldn’t have done it but that’s the rat race you’re in trying to get the best players. I wouldn’t be proud about what I did to get Irish kids over to play for Sunderland.’
Education is Quinn’s message and before he left Sunderland he convinced owner Ellis Short and former chief executive Margaret Byrne to introduce a scholarship system whereby those young players who get released have college/university courses funded in their chosen subject.
At Celtic they have a link-up with local secondary school St Ninian’s. Their scholars have 60 places and are collected each morning for training at 7.30am before beginning class and returning to the training ground in the afternoons. In total they get 17-and-a-half hours of contact with coaches, as well as their games, but Quinn insists this is not the norm.
‘All clubs have to have an education programme, it’s there to satisfy the authorities but it needs to be taken more seriously. If players fail their exams then they can’t get the pro contract, that would be a great measure but it hasn’t happened. ‘We need to do all we can to prepare our young players better for life as a footballer, it’s mentally tough and how can it be beneficial to have a 16-year-old go over and then come back at 18 feeling they’re washed up and have no purpose in life?
‘Th Swedes, Danes, they come at 19 and are men, they have an education whereas our crop of kids are barely out of nappies. We have it all wrong and have been too easy to pick from over the last 60, 70 years. If something like Brexit could have an impact and change our attitude to being proud of sending our kids away without completing their education, that will be a positive.’