Grassroots amateur football fraternity unites to seek right of season choice
The Grassroots Amateur Football Clubs of Ireland – founded to give clubs a voice in the ongoing dispute over summer football – insist they are not engineering a breakaway from the FAI.
A plan unveiled by outgoing chief football officer Marc Canham 16 months ago carried the standout desire to synchronise all football in the country from underage with the League of Ireland.
This element was advanced apparently due to 65% of participants favouring calendar football – despite no specific question on season format being part of their digital survey.
LOI switched to a summer season in 2002 after an internal vote. Yet the FAI included all strands of the game, including LOI, in the ballot for an overall change in December - it being marginally carried by 57%.
Concerned clubs had lobbied for a no vote in advance of that vote, contending they should have autonomy to decide whether to stick with the traditional school season or switch to summer.
Of Uefa's 55 countries, 80% operate the September to May format, with almost 70% of leagues doing so in Ireland.
Meetings held in Carlow and Limerick attracted around 300 people from clubs and leagues opposed to the edict. Their cause has grown to 600 clubs across 22 leagues in 17 counties.
Politicians were also part of the audience and they, including Sinn Sinn Féin deputy Dáil leader Pearse Doherty, grilled an FAI delegation during last week's presentation on the matter at Leinster House.
Under the FAI's phased proposal, schoolboys/girls are to introduce the 'calendar' season from next January for players up to age 12.
None of the top six leagues in the country – DDSL and North Dublin, along with Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick – have so far signed up for the overhaul.
That has left the FAI resorting to financial threats. The Schoolboys/girls (SFAI) is by far the largest affiliate in the country and following feedback from its member leagues, pleaded with the FAI in February to 're-evaluate' the directive.
Furthermore, the grant of €160,000 received by the SFAI to defray the costs of running the annual Kennedy and Gaynor Cups tournaments, was recently rejected by the FAI.
They have instead cut out the conduit by seeking grant applications directly from leagues, pointing out it will 'only be made to leagues that meet the requirements for grant funding.' They add that questions must be answered for eligibility to be determined, including a request for their customised 'aligned calendar' for 2026.
Applications for the monies, which would cover the extra €3,000 payable for each of the 50 teams heading to University Limerick next month, closes on Friday week.
Club Mark is another mechanism being floated to strongarm entities into towing the party line.
This accreditation is contingent on adhering to FAI policy and the suggestion is that clubs without it won't be permitted to field teams next year.
Foremost among the reasons for resistance is the direct clash with GAA fixtures. However, a multitude of other concerns have been raised including state exams in June, Irish college, summer jobs and the reality of holidays.
The biggest league in the country, the DDSL, derived from a recent survey that summer months were preferable for family holidays. They and other leagues under instruction from the FAI trialled the summer concept in 2018 until clubs proposed a reversion.
While the FAI's chief executive David Courell last week claimed leagues could break for June, July and August, significant drop-off rates from such a lull, particularly to teams not competing for honours, is inevitable.
'The FAI failed to conduct a risk assessment which would have highlighted how the switch to summer will cause serious impact on clubs,' said Sarah Duffy, chairperson of GFCI, secretary of the Wicklow district league.
'Our clubs forecast a loss of up to 40/50% of players and volunteers if we are forced into this, with some clubs informing us that they face closure. Club members have become guarantors on loans for building facilities such as all-weather pitches and the financial model for repayment would change from this reduction.
"We're not looking to have a breakaway from the FAI, simply seeking to have our right of choice preserved.'
GFCI, whose members stretch nationwide from Wexford up to Donegal, including the Midlands, Galway and Limerick along the way, intend staging meetings in the coming weeks.
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