Debate - Future of Youth Development in Irish Football

**Stuttgart88** · 08/09/2021, 10:08 AM

Still so much of it is a bit random though. As far as I recall, at no point was Omobadimele spoken about here or anywhere as the next likely breakthrough player until he suddenly got his starts at Norwich and impressed immediately. I'm not sure he was even a regular in the U19s but I haven't checked.

**passinginterest** · 08/09/2021, 10:21 AM

3 under 17, 4 under 19 and 2 under 21 caps according to Wiki. 3 goals in those under 17 and 19 caps too. I think we're still 10 years away from having more consistency and quality in the development pipeline. The underage national leagues are still only developing and they're going to be huge with the barrier to players moving to England before they turn 18.

**Kingdom** · 08/09/2021, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by passinginterest

Reading through the early pages of this thread and the prospects under 21 thread you can almost pinpoint the time our young players got left behind and our domestic coaching system and method of shipping player to England fell apart. The prospects thread was basically 2009-2011 and the crop of players that came through there are effectively the last group to make the breakthrough. This thread started around 2012 and you can see immediately how the SFAI and the South Dublin League in particular are welded to the old ways, while others are pushing to try and implement small sided games, modern coaching and a proper development pathway. The generation starting to come through now, the 18/19/20 year olds are the first ones really exposed to the changes, and most of them would have probably still spent the early formative years in an old school set up. It's only the 13/14 year olds today that are going to have mainly been exposed to modern coaching throughout their developmental years and we won't see them breaking through for another 6-10 years. It further exposes the massive rebuild facing the national team. Other nations have done it, notably the likes of Belgium who, in one of the threads, were being suggested as a soft touch 3rd seed to draw in a qualifying campaign!

I can only speak of the SDFL (before they sold their soul) around 2016-2018. I'd very specific experience of it. It's always been a weak league going back 20 years to when I played DDSL (we wouldn't have been concerned by any SDFL team), and fully take on board that you're referring to 2009-2011, but I found the SDFL coaches of the representative teams to be very fair, and extremely progressive in their approach. I mightn't have agreed with everything they did (no sh�t I hear collectively!) but they were very conscious of the talented smaller kids, of which one was my own. And they were very open to bringing kids in who wouldn't have been scouted by them. One of my kids was playing SDFL C league - officially the worst league in ireland I would think, and within 3 months was playing representative football. (now that shouldn't have been the case to begin with, but there was no high morale ground there).
I was disappointed that they joined the DDSL, if anything, I thought that more clubs should have been looking at moving to the SDFL, particularly some of those clubs for whom the DDSL should mean nothing, and to whom they mean nothing to the DDSL.

**Kingdom** · 08/09/2021, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by John83

I think that's too early; they'll be 22-24 at the tournament, sure, but we need to qualify first, and some of the older lads will be in decline by then - Coleman will be 35 for example. Really, we need that generation to mature and a second generation behind them to come through before we can look like a real team again.

100% agree with you there. With some luck, we could scrape into, and scrape through Euro24 unscathed. (for the cynics out there, I'm not saying we will qualify challenge or anything like that, simply that a possibility exists.

Coleman & Doherty might be ok given they weren't on the UK merrygoround since 16. Hendrick is a conditioned freak - that's been acknowledged in the UK previously that his stats are off the chart, so he should be ok too. It's Duffy, Stevens, Brady, Egan, McClean and Hourihane. Like it or not, they are mainstays of the squad, and will not be replaced (or their experience (generally - but also of tournament football - replaced easily).
And on that subject - experience of tournament football...I know others here disagree with my contention about qualifying for underage tournaments as long and high up the chain as possible being beneficial, but for me it is absolutely crucial. The underage youth championships are vital for player progression - not just as individuals, but as part of generations. For that to become an annual occurance will only benefit the senior team. It means that a finals appearance doesn't turn into something that becomes overbearing or unbearable.

**Kingdom** · 08/09/2021, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by passinginterest

3 under 17, 4 under 19 and 2 under 21 caps according to Wiki. 3 goals in those under 17 and 19 caps too. I think we're still 10 years away from having more consistency and quality in the development pipeline. The underage national leagues are still only developing and they're going to be huge with the barrier to players moving to England before they turn 18.

If I remember correctly - and I have to plead ignorance on this, but I'm getting better - wasn't he part of the 17s team that hosted their Euro finals in Waterford? He was one of the only bright spots (as was defence generally in that side)?

**passinginterest** · 08/09/2021, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

I can only speak of the SDFL (before they sold their soul) around 2016-2018. I'd very specific experience of it. It's always been a weak league going back 20 years to when I played DDSL (we wouldn't have been concerned by any SDFL team), and fully take on board that you're referring to 2009-2011, but I found the SDFL coaches of the representative teams to be very fair, and extremely progressive in their approach. I mightn't have agreed with everything they did (no sh�t I hear collectively!) but they were very conscious of the talented smaller kids, of which one was my own. And they were very open to bringing kids in who wouldn't have been scouted by them. One of my kids was playing SDFL C league - officially the worst league in ireland I would think, and within 3 months was playing representative football. (now that shouldn't have been the case to begin with, but there was no high morale ground there).
I was disappointed that they joined the DDSL, if anything, I thought that more clubs should have been looking at moving to the SDFL, particularly some of those clubs for whom the DDSL should mean nothing, and to whom they mean nothing to the DDSL.

Sorry, yeah, getting my leagues confused, had meant to refer to DDSL in the post rather than SDFL.

**Kingdom** · 08/09/2021, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by passinginterest

Sorry, yeah, getting my leagues confused, had meant to refer to DDSL in the post rather than SDFL.

Yes!!!! Validation

To be fair, DDSL, SDFL, NDSL, CCFL, WWFL, CKWFL, MFL, KKDL, KSL - it's like a Codex Alimentarius Council formation on edibles.

**Exgrad** · 08/09/2021, 4:06 PM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

If I remember correctly - and I have to plead ignorance on this, but I'm getting better - wasn't he part of the 17s team that hosted their Euro finals in Waterford? He was one of the only bright spots (as was defence generally in that side)?

Yes and was then included in squad that same summer in the u19 tournament were we got to the semi finals.

**CSAD** · 08/09/2021, 4:39 PM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

If I remember correctly - and I have to plead ignorance on this, but I'm getting better - wasn't he part of the 17s team that hosted their Euro finals in Waterford? He was one of the only bright spots (as was defence generally in that side)?

Well that and Joe Hodge who was brilliant (he too got into the u19s that summer) our attack was greatly diminished due to Parrott,Odubeko and Sotona not being available.

**Exgrad** · 09/09/2021, 9:46 AM

Originally Posted by CSAD

Well that and Joe Hodge who was brilliant (he too got into the u19s that summer) our attack was greatly diminished due to Parrott,Odubeko and Sotona not being available.

Odubeko says he was avaiable but not selected...

**CSAD** · 09/09/2021, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Exgrad

Odubeko says he was avaiable but not selected...

That really doesn't make sense to me considering the players Ireland picked instead of him. I�m pretty sure Odubeko and one other player weren�t allowed go by their school or something because of how they were performing at the time and maybe he�s ****ed that the FAI didn�t come and bat for him. That also seems logical as I struggle to see another reason for him not being selected.

**tetsujin1979** · 08/12/2021, 10:40 AM

Wasn't sure where to post this
Former Ireland U19 goalkeeper Tim Dittmer has been promoted to head of coaching at the FA: https://trainingground.guru/articles...ll-association

**tetsujin1979** · 30/01/2022, 10:36 AM

Good article on the42 today - Irish football has always been defined by Britain, so what has changed since Brexit?
https://www.the42.ie/britain-influen...67353-Jan2022/

**paul_oshea** · 08/02/2022, 8:14 AM

Decent read on rte today. The two are an interesting combination , given their area of expertise you'd have to assume they're well informed in this area. But it's a bit light on hard detail or actual concrete examples and I'd have liked to have seen in comparison to other countries like Croatia who have very poorly funded infrastructure and on the periphery of the Italian leagues combined with a big interest in basketball and handball and even hockey.

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2022/0...r-development/

**tetsujin1979** · 24/02/2022, 9:49 AM

'Brexit is a golden opportunity' - What the FAI have done to improve youth development, and what they have yet to do
https://www.the42.ie/fai-youth-devel...91272-Feb2022/

**Insidetherock** · 26/02/2022, 7:56 PM

Just going to post this.. cause I am bigging myself up, and I am proud as punch..

I started a schoolgirls soccer club about 10 yr ago, cause my daughter wanted to try playing a bit of ball. She stopped after 12 months.. but others had started and I didn't want to let those down.. more and more joined, other coaches.. other players, and to be honest, over the years we had quite a decent amount of success.. lost an FAI U14 semi final which we could have won (beaten 3-2 in last minute of extra time, after being 2-0 at half time.. brilliant game)

Anyways.. I'm rabbiting on.. the reason I am posting this here in youth development.. is that I remember one wet, windy night, a young girl came in with her dad, and he asking could she play.. she was 9 years of age.. but had a bit of swagger.. you know, rotating the shoulders and whatnot.. at nine.

So I reckoned she's either sh*t hot.. or just sh*t

Here's her first international goal at u17 during the week in a 4-1 win over Switzerland.. I reckon she'll be part of Irelands first ever World Cup squad in maybe 2 more cycles..

And boy am I proud..

https://www.facebook.com/CashelTownF...73852014317885

As for the rolling shoulders and the swagger.. she's still got em.. but you would not meet a nicer, more polite, down to earth.. but hard working baller on the planet.. lives for it

**Stuttgart88** · 28/02/2022, 8:01 AM

Well done you. POTM.

**SkStu** · 28/02/2022, 1:31 PM

Brilliant ITR - she has the technique (and hair) of Ruud Gullit with that thump of a header. Well done to you and to your daughter and best of luck to her in her career in green!!

**Insidetherock** · 28/02/2022, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by SkStu

Brilliant ITR - she has the technique (and hair) of Ruud Gullit with that thump of a header. Well done to you and to your daughter and best of luck to her in her career in green!!

She's not mine, but I'm claiming surrogacy.. great family she's from

What I love about the goal, is if you watch what she does.. two hands in the air like fist pumps.. the corner taker responds with her two hands up..

Basically Michaela (the scorer) saying.. you just do your job, get it up there and I'll sort out the rest.. and the corner taker just landed a beauty.. boom

Lads at underage male and female, we have some serious ballers.. doesn't matter who is getting the credit for it, but the underage leagues are definitely bearing fruit.. long may it last