Heads UP August Newsletter

Get behind Dundalk for their date with destiny

Dundalk FC stand on the cusp of creating history in the UEFA Champions League and the Football Association of Ireland would like to encourage everyone involved in Irish football to get behind the club.

The SSE Airtricity League Premier Division champions take on Legia Warsaw in Aviva Stadium on Wednesday, August 17 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Play-Off. A win would propel The Lilywhites closer to the Group Stages.

Stephen Kenny’s team have proved to be fantastic ambassadors for the League following triumphs over FH and BATE Borisov in the two previous rounds. Now, they can become the first Irish outfit to qualify for the Group Stages of Europe’s premier club competition.

As Dundalk prepare for such a massive game at the Aviva Stadium, the FAI has given its full support to the club and Republic of Ireland Martin O’Neill has also issued his backing.

Tickets are still available for Dundalk v Legia Warsaw – click here for more information

Make money for your club with Irish Football National Draw

The 2016 Irish Football National Draw is under way and already 200 clubs have signed up. They are all busy selling their tickets locally and making €8.50 profit from every €10 ticket they sell. The draw is now a tried and tested fundraiser that offeres clubs accross Ireland an effective and risk free way to bring in valuable funds. 2015 was a record year with 427 clubs involved and it looks like 2016 will be even bigger.

Basically the draw works like this:
1) The FAI organises all prizes, the final draw, printing, licensees’ etc.
2) Clubs purchase tickets from the FAI for €1.50 each
3) Clubs sell the tickets for €10 each
4) All money from all tickets sold is kept by the club – €8.50 profit on every ticket sold Prizes

Once again there is a huge range of great prizes including 4 brands new Ford Fiesta Cars, free power for a year from SSE Airtricity, a trip for two to the Champions League final from Three, a weekend for two in Copenhagen from Carlsberg, a Home Cinema System from Aviva, a trip for two to an away world cup qualifier and many many more. More than €200,000 worth of prizes are on offer.

How to get involved
Tickets will be available to order from Thursday 5th May. Just visit the website: www.fai.ie/draw Click on “Order Tickets” and take it from there. Once your order is received tickets will be sent directly to you.

Your club will have from then until the end of October to sell your tickets. The draw will take place in the Aviva Stadium on November 23, 2016.

Best of luck and happy fundraising to all clubs and leagues that take part!

Fresh opportunities for elite level coaches

Applications are now being sought for two new UEFA ‘A’ and ‘B’ Licence intensive coaching courses, which will start in September and October.

The Football Association of Ireland Coach Education Department have continued to deliver top quality courses with over 4,000 participants completing courses and moving up the coaching ladder.

The demand for UEFA ‘A’ and ‘B’ courses remains high with 328 UEFA A Licenced coaches and 1,046 UEFA B Licenced coaches having come through the FAI system. Now coaches aspiring to reach the next level can apply for these courses, should they meet the requirements, with further details below.

UEFA A Licence Intensive Course
Seminar 1: September 22nd-26th
Seminar 2: November 5th-7th
Seminar 3: December 15th-18th
Seminar 4: January 9th-11th, 2017
Seminar 5: May 30th – June 1st, 2017

Applications Closing date is Thursday, 25 August at 12pm.

UEFA B Licence Intensive Course
Seminar 1: October 3rd-7th
Seminar 2: February 27th & 28th, 2017 / March 1st-4th, 2017

Applications Closing date is Friday, 9 September at 12pm.

For further information contact warren.bolger@fai.ie

New Season, New Adventure

EURO 2016 will live long in the memory of every Irish supporter. But a new era is approaching and this is your opportunity to be part of it.

As Martin O’Neill prepares his squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, the excitement is building for the chance to be there when the Republic of Ireland men’s senior team return to Aviva Stadium.

To be a true supporter is to be part of the team. The players need passionate support to drive on and it is one of the reasons why the Ireland team did so well in qualifying for EURO 2016 and then at the tournament in France. Put simply: When we get together, it all comes together.

So here is your chance to make sure that you never miss out on supporting the team as the new FAI Season Ticket offers five games, including three crucial 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

If that wasn’t enough, here are some other benefits:

– Invitation to open training session at Aviva Stadium
– Exclusive promotions on FAIShop.com
– Free admission to Aviva Stadium tour
– 10% off CityJet fares
– Pre-sale on selected club matches
– Opportunity to win ball boy/girl and flagbearer places

Find out more at www.faiseasontickets.ie

Wexford ready to stand their ground

It isn’t just Dundalk going in search of UEFA Champions League glory as Wexford Youths WFC prepare for three key qualifiers in Ferrycarrig Park this month.

The best team in the women’s game on these shores over the last two years, Wexford retained their Continental Tyres Women’s National League title in May and that success has allowed them to represent the country in European action.

Awarded the right to host their qualifying round, Gary Hunt’s team take on Kazakh, Lithuanian, and Moldovan opposition as they bid to reach the Round of 32 (and hopefully beyond) and they are looking for as much support as possible in their three games.

Tickets can be purchased at Ferrycarrig Park.

Wexford Youths WFC v Biik-Kazygurt, Tuesday, August 23, Ferrycarrig Park, KO 19:00
Wexford Youths WFC v Gintra, Thursday, August 25, Ferrycarrig Park, KO 19:00
Wexford Youths WFC v ARF Criuleni, Sunday, August 28, Ferrycarrig Park, KO 14:00

Let’s get this started again!

The first game since UEFA EURO 2016 sees the Republic of Ireland return to Aviva Stadium on Wednesday, August 31 for what will be the beginning of a new era. 

Martin O’Neill’s side play host to Oman in a ‘Three’ International Friendly which comes five days before the opening FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier against Serbia. It is time for the Ireland supporters to get behind the Boys In Green once again.

New heroes rose up during EURO 2016 and this campaign provides the platform for more to follow in their footsteps. Make sure you don’t miss out on this hugely important game as Ireland aim to get back on track.

Tickets are available now for Ireland v Oman – click here for more information

Leinster on look-out for more clubs

The Leinster Football League have opened their doors for clubs looking to get involved in their Under 19 & U20 Leagues. 

In exsistence since the 1940s, the LFL are a well respected organisation who have been instrumental in raising the standard of junior football in Ireland. Now, they are hoping to grow even more with a call for new clubs to join.

The invitation is open to clubs who want to take part in either the Saturday or Sunday Leagues at Premier or Major Division level. But time is running out as the new season is about to kick off, so interested parties should get in touch now.

If any club would like more information, email league.lfl@gmail.com

Futsal League providing a solid platform

The FAI has given its support to two Futsal Leagues set up by the Athletic Union League (AUL) to encourage more players to get involved in the game.

Expressions of interest are now being sought to compete in the AUL Futsal League and a new Under 19 Futsal League, with both Leagues set to kick off in early November.

The AUL, in conjunction with the FAI, are looking for players who can be available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights in Tolka Rovers’ Complex, while other venues may also be used.

FAI High Performance Director Ruud Dokter has endorsed the two Leagues, which encourage players to focus on improving their techinique, control, and skill on the ball. “I think this is an excellent initiative by the AUL. The season allows for this and this idea is to be welcomed to keep players active. The technical benefits of Futsal can only aid players development,” said Dokter.

Paul Keogh, FAI Development Officer, believes the Leagues are coming at the right time. “This is an exciting initiative by the AUL. Futsal in Ireland continues to grow and with the launch of the new midweek Under 19 Futsal League for the winter period I have no doubt there will be plenty of interest from teams,” said Keogh.

Another incentive to get involved is that winners of the FAI Futsal Cup will represent Ireland in the UEFA Futsal Cup. If interested, send your expressions of interest before August 29 to attention of Dick Redmond at info@aul.ie 

Women’s football returns with a bang

Women’s football has never been in a better state in this country and the growth of the Continental Tyres Women’s National League has been key to that.

The domestic League has returned for a shortened season (August to November) in preparation for a switch to a single calendar structure in 2017 and these are exciting times.

Wexford Youths WFC secured their second WNL title last season, but the new campaign has already showed that there will be plenty of competition for that trophy with Galway WFC, Peamount United, Shelbourne Ladies, and UCD Waves all starting well.

Cork City WFC and Kilkenny United WFC have also made notable improvements, which suggests that this season will be full of many twists and turns.

The FAI has already live streamed two games on FAI TV and plans to continue giving the League extensive coverage.

For more information visit www.wnl.fai.ie

Graduates show way forward for ETB course

Young footballers are reminded that applications for places on the FAI ETB Soccer Training Courses will close on August 31.

The FAI, in partnership with a number of Education and Training Boards throughout the country and supported by the European Social Fund, are operating Local Training Initiatives that provide a unique blend of educational and football development for talented young footballers.

The renowned programme enables participants who are interested to develop a potential career in football or the sports and leisure industry as well as improving their level of education to enhance their job opportunities. The ETB (Formerly FAS), in conjunction with the FAI, have completed their 12th year of football courses in Dublin while the Cork FAI/ETB Soccer Academy has run for 21 years.

These courses now take place in Clondalkin, Cabra, Irishtown, Limerick, Castlebar, Blarney, Carrigaline and Ringmahon. Football development has been a major feature on the courses with more than 100 trainees progressing to the SSE Airtricity League in recent seasons with graduates including Chris Forrester and Matt Doherty receiving call-ups to Martin O’Neill’s Ireland squad earlier this year.

Dundalk’s FAI ETB graduates include Sean Gannon, Chris Shields, John Mountney, Darren Meenan, Andy Boyle and Daryl Horgan from Dundalk while Cork’s graduates from the programme include John Kavanagh, Gearóid Morrissey, Ian Turner, Colin Healy, Stuart Ashton, Mark McNulty, Mark O’Sullivan and Garry Buckley.

“Everybody involved in the FAI ETB programme is delighted to congratulate all the Dundalk players on a marvellous achievement in progressing to the UEFA Champions League Play-Off round,” said FAI ETB Co-ordinator Harry McCue.

“I’m sure when the lads came onto to the ETB courses they could only dream of Champions League Football. Now with fantastic financial support from Government through the Educational Training Boards and the guidance and full time training from FAI coaches throughout the country and their progression into professional football with Dundalk that dream is very much on course to become reality.”

As part of the academic side of the programme, learners will complete a QQI Level 5. In the last number of years this has allowed numerous learners to progress to Third Level Institutions in Ireland and the United Kingdom using the QQI route.

ETB / FAI graduates have continued to add to their educational development in a variety of UCC, UCD, Cork IT, Waterford IT, Carlow IT, UCFB degree programmes. There is one Level 4 course in Blarney. Applications are made through the CAO. Registrations for the 2016-17 courses can be made by contacting FAI course co-ordinators at http://www.fai.ie/domestic/take-part-programmes/etb-fai-courses