FROM THE FAI

Consultation Meetings



Football is the highest participation sport in Ireland making it the most widely played game among adults. Most of this participation is in amateur leagues. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI), in its Development Plan, recognises that the foundations of the sport are built at club, school and local level. We are committed to the development of a more effective Amateur game structure and the provision of appropriate, organised, quality competitive football opportunities for all involved in the game at this level.

We are about to commence the first ever strategic review of the Amateur game in Ireland. The review will focus on developing a strategy for the future development of the Amateur game throughout the country. It will examine every aspect of the Amateur game and develop recommendations to strengthen it for the future.

We want to canvass the opinions of people involved in the game (clubs, players, coaches, administrators, officials etc.). We want to understand their concerns, issues, priorities and what they would like to see done to make their game better.

We are therefore conducting a series of consultation events across the country. The events will be facilitated by external consultants, Genesis, who will be helping us develop the strategy for the Amateur game. The purpose of this consultation process is to obtain the views of all stakeholders in the sport. In total we are running 14 public meetings across the country. All members (players, coaches, administrators, etc.) of clubs in each area are invited to attend these meetings.

This is an opportunity for every person involved in amateur football to give their input directly to Genesis on the future of their sport. We are keen to hear from as many people within the grassroots of the sport as possible.


The meetings will be held on the following dates:

Date
Venue
Monday 3rd September
Newbridge

Tuesday 4th September
Bunclody

Monday 10th September
Athlone

Tuesday 11th September
Swords

Monday 17th September
Killarney

Tuesday 18th September
Limerick

Wednesday 19th September
Cork

Monday 24th September
Galway

Tuesday 25th September
Letterkenny

Wednesday 26th September
Sligo

Monday 1st October
Clonmel

Tuesday 2nd October
Portlaoise

Monday 8th October
Carrickmacross

Tuesday 9th October
Red Cow

Each meeting will kick-off at 7pm. We would encourage as many people as possible to come to the sessions and provide their input. The FAI website www.fai.ie will also be used to canvass views and opinions but these meetings are the best chance for people to have their voice heard.

We would ask all league officials and club administrators to make a concerted effort to get as many people from their area to participate in these meetings. It is your game, so let us know how you want it to be developed.

For further information on the meetings please contact Karl O’Shaughnessy of the FAI Technical Department at Karl.OShaughnessy@fai.ie or 01-7037500.




David Blood John Delaney
President, FAI CEO, FAI