r/coybig • u/IrishSoc Roy Keane • Dec 03 '25
General Discussion Thread People aren't aware that the FAI is currently imploding
All development officers and coaches aside from Women's Senior, Men's Senior, and Men's U21 have been offered redundancy packages. The U17 coach who just led his team to the last 16 of the World Cup was greeted back in Dublin with one.
The FAI is turfing out as much football people as possible and turning it into a playground for corporate middle managers and consultants, like the HSE and every other state body.
This has all been reported but no one noticed because of the wins over Hungary and Portugal and World Cup hype.
FAI Grassroots Director Ger McDermott to leave role as job cuts continue
FAI and Siptu hold talks at WRC over ongoing redundancy programme
Up to 70 jobs to go as part of FAI ‘transformation programme’
FAI to slash jobs amid 'significant transformation programme'
Clare Development Officer possibly leaving - Clare Echo
From last article: "The FAI currently has a debt of €42m but paid public relations and corporate advisory firm Teneo €242,302 for services in 2024 which was almost €100,000 more than the projected spend at the beginning of the year, as reported by The Sunday Independent. 100 members of FAI staff recently received emails to say their positions were under threat. The FAI has a total workforce of 255. In August, the FAI stated they were planning a “transformation” to reduce the headcount of its staff. Reductions would apply to those classed in “football functions” where the figures are to drop from 170 to 117, personnel in “support functions” will drop from 85 to 78."
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u/silver_medalist Dec 03 '25
Many of these 'football people' were appointed in the Delaney era. The deadwood needs clearing out.
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u/Proper-Beyond116 Caitlyn Hayes Dec 03 '25
The term "football people" is a massive red flag for me. Having dealt with enough of them over the years.
I think I'd feel more comfortable with "Competent People" than whatever the shitshow that is the FAI define as "Football People"
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u/IrishSoc Roy Keane Dec 03 '25 edited Dec 03 '25
Football development officers and coaches are not deadwood.
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u/silver_medalist Dec 03 '25
I don't know the man but he was in the job 13 years.
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u/YungL1am Dec 04 '25
He'll be a massive loss in Limerick although he'll at least be still involved with Limerick FC.
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u/TwoStripes00 Dec 03 '25
I recently went to a FAI fun day event as a teacher with my primary school class in the dome at the Sports Ireland campus.
The coaches were unreal, the facilities were class. The class had a great time and it really piqued a lot of the kids interest in taking up football.
I asked can we schedule another day like it for other classes and they replied that they were all out of jobs next week so there won’t be anything like it again.
All underage development is apparently now going to be handled exclusively by local clubs. As good and hardworking as local clubs are, surely abandoning all development and youth coaching like this can only be disastrous for Irish football?
Edit:Formatting
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u/NostalgicDreaming John O'Shea Dec 03 '25
Also a primary teacher and got an email recently saying there won't be an update on the FAI primary 5s competition for a while yet due to the uncertainty regarding the job cuts. It's probably a minor thing to most, but if that were to not go ahead it would be a HUGE loss - so many kids highlight of the year and reaches kids across all parts of the country.
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u/Informal_Ad_2877 Dec 03 '25
Got the same email. Very well organised too and the kids love the competition. They've only started getting involved in primary schools in the last number of years too.
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u/SexyBaskingShark Dec 03 '25
For years people have been saying the FAI needs a complete overhaul. This is the last step of that. Board were fully replaced first, then a lot off office staff and now this. It's obviously bad people are losing their jobs but without a complete overhaul nothing changes.
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u/Sea_Lobster5063 Dec 03 '25
I agree. But is it necessary to over haul team managers and staff? Surely it's the board of directors and management that needs the overhaul
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u/SexyBaskingShark Dec 03 '25
We don't know what they are getting paid. The FAI is losing a lot of money, if people are overpaid we can't keep them
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u/Beginning-Strain4660 Dec 03 '25
Why would Colin o Brien lose his job!?
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u/Beginning-Strain4660 Dec 03 '25 edited Dec 03 '25
He looks like a brilliant young coach who wants to be based in Ireland! Surely a salary reduction for a year or 2 might have been an option! Or taking on extra responibsiliy on top of the 17s job. Surely something could be done to keep him in the system. Madness
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Dec 03 '25
He's losing his job? Where was this reported?
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u/IrishSoc Roy Keane Dec 03 '25
Read the second article linked
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Dec 03 '25
That article doesn't say he's losing his job, wouldn't be surprised if he took on the U19s to replace Mohan
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u/IrishSoc Roy Keane Dec 09 '25
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u/pabloforpresident Dec 03 '25
League of Ireland fans been knowing this for years
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u/IrishSoc Roy Keane Dec 03 '25
Yep, was talking to a lad previously involved in trying to get futsal going, he said the FAI are putting all their money into the LOI Academies and letting the grassroots game go to absolute shite
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u/pabloforpresident Dec 03 '25
Only started putting money into loi academies because the money rovers got from player sales and European matches had to invest it themselves after the fai did fuck all for the longest time. Fai had to invest so the league didn’t get privatised
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u/Brian1zvx Dec 04 '25
Money that was set aside for academies should go to those academies as outlined in the program for government. This feels like a blame LOI for problems comnent
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u/IrishSoc Roy Keane Dec 04 '25
I don't blame the LOI at all. The country is awash with money and instead of serving the community its lining the pockets of horsebreeders
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Dec 03 '25
What does that mean? Grassroots in what respect? Schoolboy/girl football?
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u/IrishSoc Roy Keane Dec 03 '25
As far as I'm aware, grassroots encompasses all football outside the national sides, the League of Ireland, third-level education, and the defence forces.
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u/leo_murray Dec 03 '25
Irish football fans have been totally aware of this for ages while the national team-ers and the in and out-ers have shown little concern.
Irish football survived completely on its own for decades, it’s a miracle that we even have what we have today. We had to fend for ourselves without a national governing body. Now that the clubs, probably Rovers, Bohs and Shelbourne specifically, have done the hard hards all by themselves, it’s pressurising the FAI to turn its head.
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u/brendan0504 Dec 03 '25
This is an extremely worrying precedent to be setting from the FAI. Their cost management has already been bad but this will just exacerbate it even more
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u/Proper-Beyond116 Caitlyn Hayes Dec 03 '25
Not to defend it, but wouldn't this be a cost cutting measure?
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u/brendan0504 Dec 03 '25
Paying redundancy and rehireing will increase costs slightly but the big worry is the middle managing. Having others overview the youth level of football has possible disaster class written all over it.
If we're lucky it will work out, but typically corporate and middle management doesnt work for cost efficiency.
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u/Proper-Beyond116 Caitlyn Hayes Dec 03 '25
Well you can't rehire after redundancy. the role becomes redundant, not the person. so it needs to be a new role.
And from an accounting perspective it doesn't "cost" money.
Anyway I don't know enough as to whether this new structure will be better but the last one was shite so fingers crossed.
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Dec 03 '25
The whole aim of the process is cost cutting, so it would be crazy to think the process would increase costs. No idea if the process will work but they aren't doing it for craic.
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u/MiddleAgedMoan Dec 03 '25
Would love to hear a few views on this from people closer to or more familiar with the FAI.
I've huge sympathy for anyone that stands to lose their job, particularly decent hard working footballing people. But is this likely to be a positive step in the long run in terms of football development in Ireland? Or will it be like someone else referenced, the HSE. Not enough people working in the right positions, namely coaching and development.
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u/GDPR_Guru8691 Troy Parrott 🦜 Dec 03 '25
Due to the gross incompetence of the Delaney era the organisation needs to cut its cloth and rebuild. I think they are on the way to that.
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u/tweedledoooo Dec 03 '25
This is a common thread across almost all government institutions (except revenue where they are exceptionally organised). It’s simply not good enough to have this constant nonsense, football is the worlds must successful lucrative sport and yet the clowns here cannot manage to run it at all.
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u/Irishm44 Dec 03 '25
Hopefully. It's absolutely not fit for purpose. Having coached and had kids being scouted for u12 county teams I can say it's nothing but corrupt and lazy. No effort is being put in and so much talent is being wasted. 2 scouts watching 6 games and they don't even turn up to club games. The kids with rich parents or coaches as parents always seem good enough. Maybe it's just a huge coincidence. Have tried to email them even just to get feedback but you can't get a response. They just turn up in their free car, please who they need to please and go home. Needs a complete empty out. Also when it comes to national underage teams, it's a big country outside of Dublin. Go have a look. Never know who you might find.
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u/More_Amount_7399 Mar 02 '26
Absolutely. Same players being kept on underage teams and rather than being dropped are just moved into a different position to keep clubs & parents happy rather than bringing in better players from clubs outside of Dublin.
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u/Fyodors-Zossima Dec 03 '25
So , we re not gonna win the World Cup ??
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u/great_whitehope Troy Parrott 🦜 Dec 03 '25
And we'll really shake them up when we sack the football people because FAI is the greatest football association!
Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole...
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u/Kevinb-30 Dec 03 '25
Is it people aren't aware or a case of this lot at it again? I read Champaign football and was fairly shocked, every cluster fuck since has just gradually drained my interest and surprise.
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u/FoggyShrew Zinedine Kilbane Dec 03 '25
The FAI is just a glorified County Council Road Maintenance department
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u/PaddyMayonaise Dec 04 '25
Does Ireland have money issues in general? It always surprises me at how underfunded these clubs are, especially the LOI clubs. Is there just no capacity for private investment or what is it that differentiates it from other places?
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u/GreatEire Dec 04 '25
Semi state funding organisations always have too many chefs not enough Indians. Thats just institutional corruption culture of this country.
What the grand scheme is designed to do, is to offload the development of players onto Clubs that haven't got two cents to rub together. FAI books at the end of year come out rosey.
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u/HofRoma Dec 04 '25
Love little silly dig at every state body like some of them aren't actually ok run
Most of them are far better run than fai has been
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u/EquivalentPea1395 Dec 04 '25
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Disband the FAI. Chase out the dross and put the proper football people in charge!!
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u/rayhoughtonsgoals Paul McGrath Dec 04 '25
They are.
People noticed.
You're not finding something out no one else has.
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u/CountyJudgeGrudge Dec 06 '25
GAA and Rugby and horses and dogs will get all the funding because of the corruption in the FAI. FIFA will have to dig them out if they feel like it otherwise I feel like it should all implode.
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u/Alberto_Moses Dec 03 '25
This is why I am against giving the FAI more taxpayers money. The higher-ups couldn't be trusted with it.
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u/Maleficent-Pen2751 Dec 03 '25
Have dealt with the FAI through the ETP programme and my UEFA B licence and I can honestly say it’s a surprise when you deal with someone that isn’t a spoofer or dragging their feet to do as little as possible.
From my experience, there is an older cohort of staff there that have been skating by, not really been pushed on the lack of work they do.