1. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport in view of the global gindings report produced from the Double Pass audit into the League of Ireland academy system, which benchmarks Ireland significantly behind other nations, the plans he has initiated to support academy development; if he will commit to the significant funding increase in this area to allow our academies grow to meet the huge potential they hold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52248/25]

Sentiment score: 0.29

I cannot emphasise enough just how important academies are to the future of Irish football. At the very top of the scale, we just need to see where our national team is right now in the international rankings and look at recent defeats to so-called lesser teams. At grassroots level, the opportunities that were there before Brexit no longer exist. Irish players cannot go across the water to larger academies and learn their trades like how it used to be done. Those young academy players are here. They want to play; they want to learn. They want the opportunity to represent their club and, ultimately, their country to the very best of their abilities. Without football academies up and down this country being adequately resourced, however, they are never going to reach their full potential. Some of the significant moments of modern Irish history have been because of football. Let us think of Euro 88, Italia 90, USA 94; events that unified everybody in every part of this country and lifted the mood of the population and brought joy and belief in ourselves as a people. If we want to see moments like that again, we need to start the process and invest now.

Sentiment score: 0.30

The programme for Government stated that the Government will explore new mechanisms for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland, so I am not going to stand here and give the Minister plaudits for doing what he has committed to doing. The FAI pre-budget submission asks for support for League of Ireland academies, which is what my question this morning is about. This will create a total of 81 new jobs in clubs around the country before a jump to €8 million annually with the hope of creating 340 full-time and part-time jobs to kickstart an industry. If the Government makes the investment now, we could have the days like those I referenced earlier of Euro 88, Italia 90 and USA 94, but it has to make the investment now for Irish football to be self-financing in the future. We need to invest in our academies now.

Sentiment score: 0.36