Kerry Players Across the Water

[legendz]

Kerry can become a soccer hotbed, says Manchester United giantkilling hopeful!

https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soc...eadmore-target

Shane McLaughlin's family moved from the Bronx to Castleisland when he was five years old. His mother is from Kerry.

[culloty82]

As mentioned recently in the main forum, realistically the First Division is somewhat of a backwater, so if you're an ambitious local player, Kerry should only really serve as a platform/shop window for 2-3 seasons, after which the aim should be either the Premier Division (Leo being the first on that score) and/or the EFL. Of course, we'd all love to be in a position to eventually challenge for the play-offs, but part of the downside of concentrating on the academy system is the difficulty in retaining such talents.

[legendz]

The First Division might have been a backwater years ago. The youth leagues are a changed dynamic. Kavanagh and Spain coming in isn't concentrating on the academy system exclusively. Similar with lads coming in from Galway, it's not Kerry academy focussed. The intention seem to be there to find the right blend of experience, core players, academy players and loan players from the Premier Division.