Michael Bolton
The Government warned the Football Association of Ireland at the beginning of this year that any future funding they would receive would be conditional and require detail.
Documents seen by Breakingnews showed the minutes of the last meeting between the Department of Sport and the FAI regarding funding on January 31st.
Among the people who attended was Minister for Sport Thomas Byrne, who told the FAI they would face significant funding cuts if they did not meet the 40 per cent gender diversity target, which they said they would meet shortly.
When discussing the report published on progress made by the FAI in the implementation of reforms set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Mr Byrne said a detailed request would be needed from the FAI, setting out their financial needs.
He said if funding were to be provided, it would be conditional, and some elements of the MoU such as the 50/50 split of independent directors on the board would need to be provided. Mr Byrne stressed no guarantees could be given as to the level of support.
This was signed by former FAI chairman Roy Barrett and then Minister for sport Shane Ross, to secure a government bailout of €30 million in January 2020.
The then CEO Jonathan Hill, who resigned in April, said when providing an update on commercial and financial progress, that a new sponsor for the men's team was imminent.
When discussing Euro 2028, Mr Hill said the impact of Euros would be substantial – overall figure is dependent on qualifying.
The tournament is set to be hosted by the UK and Ireland, with the Aviva Stadium one of the stadiums named to host games.
When discussing the latest round of the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF), the FAI spoke about the importance of playing facilities. Mr Byrne, and Assistant Secretary for the Department of Sport Cian Ó Lionáin referred to the importance of municipal and multisport facilities.
In the Community Sport Facilities Fund grants issued this week, soccer was third on the list with 371 grants totalling €41,400,230.
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