U-17s progress in spite of lack of support

• Published date: 18 March 2023

Unlike everyone else in the world, Irish citizens do not need a work permit to earn a living in the UK

This feeds directly into last Monday's win in Cyprus when the Republic of Ireland became the first country to qualify for the under-17 European Championships in Hungary this summer.

Colin O'Brien's team's results are as impressive as the spread of League of Ireland clubs within the squad: a 2-2 draw with Italy and Mason Melia's hat-trick to beat Ukraine 3-0 before this week's 3-2 victory was spearheaded by Naj Razi.

In any other era, Melia (15) and Razi (16) would be away to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, like Graham Barrett and Andy Reid back in 1998 when Brian Kerr's under-16s and under-18s were crowned European champions.

"Our teams had class players, an experienced manager and staff who really knew what we were doing," Kerr remembers. "The current under-17s won a group in Cyprus. Our under-18s won a European Championship in Cyprus."

Unrecognisable

Twenty-five years later, the football ecosystem in Ireland is unrecognisable. Ten of Kerr's 15-year-olds had already signed for English clubs or Glasgow Celtic while most of the rest, including John O'Shea, would follow.

Of O'Brien's current crop, 19 are signed to eight League of Ireland teams with only five - Marcus Gill (Celtic), Jake Grante (Crystal Palace), Niall McAndrew (Derby County), Stan Ashbee (Hull City) and Trent Kone Doherty (Liverpool) - playing in England. Doherty was born in Derry, the others in Britain.

Under Kerr's guidance between 1997 and 2003 Ireland won two European titles alongside a third-place finish at an under-20 World Cup as over 20 players from five different age groups went on to win 600 senior caps.

"It wasn't those two tournaments in isolation," says Barrett, now a football agent. "There was a large group of players spread over four or five age grades that were not just qualifying for tournaments but getting to the latter stages, all the time.

"To do that now you have to have more resources. The Premier League gives their academies £1.4 million to run them. League of Ireland clubs get €20,000."

While the under-17s promise a bright future, the FAI, Barrett and Kerr are on the same page in 2023; this week's success is unsustainable without Government support. A hand up, not a hand out. It is believed that financial support during the lifetime of two governments would get an Irish football industry on its feet.

Adequate

Will Clarke, the FAI's League of Ireland...