Retired Irish Footballers & A Football Academy

I was thinking recently with the retirement from international football of the current crop of senior players that these guys are probably the first real crop of very wealthly irish footballers to retire (maybe excluding Roy Keane or one or two others in the last 5 years).

The really top players shouldn't have to worry about having to work again. I was wondering whether maybe one of them might dedicate themselves to Irish football (in ireland) rather than going into commentary or coaching in England.

I've a couple of ideas floating around in my head in which one of these guys might be interested in.

Setting up a football school in Dublin - surely a school in Dublin could (with minimal financial involvement) set themselves up as a soccer academy / school. A retired player could offer his name and some of his time in coaching players attending the school. This school would be for the best young players in the country. The elite footballing students at the school would be offered up to 4 hours (or whatever would be required) coaching each day around their regular studies. I'm sure the FAI would be able to offer the use of some of their full-time development coaches and the school in question would benefit from having its name regarded as a football academy regarding sponsorship etc.

Setting up a football academy in Dublin similar to the Glenn Hoddle academy in Spain. As a follow on to the School a retired player could set up an academy similar to Glenn Hoddle's academy in Spain. From what I understand of it the Glenn Hoddle academy allows young players that have been released by clubs in England to continue to train full time and benefit from Glenn Hoddles coaching and in return if they get back into professional football then the academy receives a percentage of signing on fees etc. The Glenn Hoddle academy also loans players to one of the spanish clubs to gain experience.
I think this would be a perfect set-up for Ireland. In the "Retired Player" academy any young irish players that have been released and are deemed good enough (or are in an area where the irish international squads are in need of a particular type of player) are given a chance with the academy. It may even be possible to put a team into the league of ireland as the costs should be small as the players would all be amateurs (put them in a first division so that they is no pressure involving relegation). The academy / club holds the registration of the players and receives a percentage of signing on fees once the players are sold on again. Any profit would be ploughed back into the the football school and football academy. You would hope an academy like this would allow players that aren't physical enough for the English game at 17/18 the time to bulk up or else go to the continent. As the football school and academy are linked up it would give younger players the chance to get their leaving cert and the school could also teach languages so players have the options to go to other countrys.
Basically it would be kinda like a development squad running for the benefit of the Irish international squad rather than the benefit of a specific club.

Gary Dempsey has a soccer academy in waterford: http://www.matchfitsoccer.ie/

The GHA is a fully commercial operation that is too closely connected to the murky world of agents and Latin American trading of teenagers for my liking.

Much as we are quick to criticise the FAI, I think that any academy system should be within their governance but I agree with the general principle that retired multi-millionaire players should look to give something back. I reckon Duffer earns more in a week that the likes of Harry Kenny or other FAI coaches recently made redundant would earn in 2 or 3 years. A relatively small contribution could go a long way.

Of course the governance and management of the FAI is probably an obstacle for anyone with any thoughts of a philantropic gesture.

We really need a well-funded, joined-up approach to football development without any internal power wrangles between schoolboy clubs and LOI clubs etc.

The FAI did/does have plans for a national academy. Haven't much about it in recent years though but the Sports Campus website mentions the FAI "developing" facilities out in Abbotstown.

http://www.nscda.ie/pressrelease230312.php

Those facilities were meant to quickly follow the HQ move to Abbotstown circa 7 years ago................. Nothing happened and with current finances they are not about to any time soon.......

Out of curiosity why Dublin specifically?

The vast majority of players simply can't coach. Only have to look at the managerial records of the likes of Keane, Staunton etc

I don't think so Dodge.
Managing an EPL/Div 1 professional club /national team, is a world away from an ex-player coaching at an academy.
Falling short at one level does not preclude the other. Are there not many decent coaches who after it was proven they could not manage a team, continued where they left off with their coaching?

Perhaps. I'd imagine there's many many more examples of football players who simply couldn't coach.

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Originally Posted by Murfinator

Out of curiosity why Dublin specifically?

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Population and the fact that 1/3 of the population is in Dublin, then 1/3 of the retiring players are likely to be from Dublin.

If we talking about having to move to Dublin or having to move to an academy in England and miss out on your schooling in terms of the Football School then you would think a player from outside Dublin would prefer to stay in the country.

In terms of the Football Academy (for players that "didn't make the grade") then to be frank if they can't be arsed taking a second chance at football by moving to Dublin then they probably don't have the mental strength to be a footballer anyway.

I know very little about the Hoddle academy, but doesn't the academy have a team in the Spanish league? I'm wondering where players would get the kind of competetive games to keep them fit and sharp - LOI? Would players be happy with that level of exposure?

The GHA is a special case though, taking players released by clubs at 18 or older and giving them a second chance. They're professionals at that stage (i.e., tradable assets, chattels more cynically). I think the type of academy we need is to develop younger players, before they sign their first contracts. It'd be nice to see a UHNW like O'Brien or Desmond stumping up some cash for it.

Do we not have one of these? I think it's called UCD?

The GHA is a nice idea in principle (saying nothing about the shady aspects of the business) but it has singularly failed to produce any players in top level football.