Ireland squad highlights regional imbalance at academy level

RTÉ News​

03-05-2025

The recent Republic of Ireland Under-15s squad announcement has reignited a long-running debate in Irish football over regional balance and the growing divide between academies in Dublin and those outside the capital.
Of the 20 players selected in Jason Donohue's squad, 11 play for Shamrock Rovers. Seventeen players out of the 20 are from Dublin clubs. No players from Munster or Ulster were included.
The figures have raised eyebrows across the domestic game and sparked concern among those charged with player development around the country.
Concerns over regional imbalance in an underage selection are nothing new. Roy Keane, who would go on to captain Manchester United and the national team at senior level, was repeatedly left out of Ireland underage squads as a teenager in Cork - despite the midfielder captaining a Kennedy Cup-winning side and being regarded locally as an outstanding talent.
In Keane's case size was cited as a reason, but many felt geography played a part too.
While the structures have changed, the perception that players outside of Dublin face barriers to exposure and progression persists. Cork and other regions continue to produce competitive clubs at both academy and schoolboy level, yet their presence in international youth squads remains limited.
From the Dublin clubs' point of view, the system is working. With access to better infrastructure, coaching resources, and competitive leagues from an earlier age, academies in the capital are increasingly professionalised and are producing players capable of competing at the top levels.
Their dominance in underage selections reflects not just talent, but the environment in which that talent is developed. Crucially, the concentration of quality players in the region allows for higher standards in training and regular matches where the best play against the best. This is something not always possible in more dispersed regions.
That level of development is beginning to translate into tangible returns. More players from Dublin academies are securing moves abroad. These transfers create a revenue stream that helps clubs reinvest in their academy operations thus reinforcing a cycle of growth and deepening the divide between well-resourced and under-resourced environments.
One of the next potential windfalls is expected to come from Shamrock Rovers' Victor Ozhianvuna. The 16-year-old has attracted overseas interest, with manager Stephen Bradley recently confirming that Premier League side Arsenal are among the clubs closely monitoring the versatile midfielder's progress.
In regards to the BU15 squad, John Martin, outgoing CEO of Shamrock Rovers, said he was "delighted" as a club representative but admitted broader concerns about national balance.
"As someone associated with Shamrock Rovers, I'm delighted. As someone who loves Irish football, you'd be concerned. There's no getting away from that, but there is strong mitigation and rationale."
Martin pointed to contact hours as the defining issue.
"A Shamrock Rovers kid who's now 14 may have been with the club since seven or eight. The contact hours between eight and 14 will be far in excess of what players from Cork City, Treaty, or Waterford are receiving. That manifests itself in development."
Rovers' deep ties with the Dublin District Schoolboys League (DDSL) and its ability to engage players from a young age, coupled with full-time staff, medical, and S&C personnel, puts them in a position few clubs can replicate.
Although Rovers and other Dublin academies may have more contact hours, which does seem to be the stock phrase when talking about academy football development, Martin still thinks there is room for improvement and that if even modest public funding were ring-fenced for academy use, it could dramatically improve the quality and consistency of development environments across the country.
"You're talking hundreds of thousands, not hundreds of millions. But with that, we can fund GPS systems, support staff, and performance analytics. It all adds value. Even an investment of €250,000 would be a game changer, not just for us but for everyone.
"The clubs are carrying the responsibility for the next generation of professional footballers. But they can't do it alone."
He compared it to public infrastructure: "Academy football is like a commodity that's losing a lot of money that clubs are running. For a period of time, they need assistance to make it sustainable."
In November 2024, the government signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the FAI, committing €6m annually in funding through to the end of 2027. An additional €1m was allocated for football development, with a strong emphasis on reforming underage and grassroots structures.
The deal followed a previous MoU introduced in 2020 after the FAI's financial collapse, which included over 160 governance conditions, most of which have now been completed or partially completed.
The FAI are seeking €8m per annum from the government to fund LOI academies, but chief executive David Courell last week admitted there was reluctance in Leinster House to effectively fund private enterprises.
Nobody from the association was available to address the specific case of the make-up of the Under-15s squad when contacted by RTÉ Sport.
For now, the state's support is seen as essential to ensuring that football development, including academy infrastructure, can continue across the country, particularly in areas where resources remain limited.
Mike Geoghegan, academy director at Waterford FC, believes the latest squad selection has highlighted serious imbalances in how Irish underage football is structured and scouted.
"I think it's disproportionate to have 11 members of one squad and 17 from one area in one international squad. I'm not really sure what we are trying to achieve with that as a country," he said.
"Surely, if we are looking at it over the coming years, players aged 16, 17 and 18 will progress - and the best player from Galway, Waterford or Derry City is going to be better than the 11th best player from Shamrock Rovers."
He explained that the current disparity in representation is influenced by long-standing structural differences: "Shamrock Rovers have players in from Under-8s through the FAI system because they've historically had teams in the DDSL.
"They are doing a good job with them, but those kids are then playing high-profile games against Arsenal and others and this will weigh in their favour when being selected against kids from down the country who cannot come into academies properly until 13.
"We are running two completely different models in the country, and that is leading to a subconscious bias when it comes to selection."
That visibility, and the strength of their working environment, is something Shamrock Rovers Academy Director Simon Friel believes plays a significant role in how their players are seen and selected. "It's not just about training more but it's about training better too. The structure is there: three pitch sessions, two gym sessions, education integration. But we're always looking to improve."
On the heavy Rovers presence in the squad, Friel added: "It's testament to the great work going on across the academy - coaching, performance support, education, parents, everything. We take immense pride in our players being selected, and it's not something that happens overnight."
Friel said the experience of international football would be invaluable for those selected.
"Playing teams like Saudi Arabia and the UAE brings them out of their comfort zones. These players are used to being away, preparing for games in new environments, against different cultures. It's all part of the development journey."
Asked whether there was any direct contact between Shamrock Rovers and Ireland Under-15s manager Donohue ahead of the recent squad selection, Friel said conversations do happen around matchdays, but stressed that nothing formal takes place.
"It starts to look like a Shamrock Rovers XI rather than a national team. Maybe they are the best players, but it's an issue when entire regions are missing." - Sligo Rovers academy coach Declan Boyle
"The FAI will be around all clubs, not just Shamrock Rovers. If you're at a match, yes, you might have a discussion, like anyone would. But really, it's the feedback we get after the camps that matters. That's what helps the player and helps us align our work. It's about collaboration."
Sligo Rovers academy coach, Declan Boyle offered a frank assessment of the Under-15s squad's makeup: "It starts to look like a Shamrock Rovers XI rather than a national team. Maybe they are the best players, but it's an issue when entire regions are missing."
He said that two weekly sessions is often the maximum rural players can manage due to long travel times and part-time staff. "You've players coming from Donegal, Westmeath, Roscommon, Mayo just to play here in Sligo. It's not easy to match what's available in Dublin."
Boyle acknowledged the strength of Dublin's schoolboy leagues and the head start they provide. "The Dublin leagues are among the best in Europe. Our kids catch up quickly, but they start behind. We need national support to level the playing field."
Boyle also understood the difficulty for scouts to consistently monitor players nationwide.
"It's hard for the FAI coaches to be everywhere - I get that. But players out west do sometimes miss out on exposure. That's just the reality with the distances and the limited scouting network."
As academy football in Ireland continues to evolve, the Republic's underage international squads will remain a focal point for debates around fairness, access, and investment.
For now, many believe the system continues to reflect the advantages already embedded in the structure with resources, access, and early exposure still unevenly distributed.