FAI Annual Review 2014

defending champions Raheny United.Continental Tyres have been excellenttitle sponsors and have worked veryclosely with the Association over the pastseason to develop the competition thatis providing strong benefits for women’sfootball at elite level. Next year’s additionof Kilkenny United WFC as the eighthclub for the 2015/16 season is a welcomedevelopment.Financially, the Association has reported afull year operating surplus of €6.85m anda net surplus of €0.36m in 2014.Over the past four years, the Board of theAssociation has secured €12.5m grossthrough a debt restructuring agreement in2013, a reduction of the €5m FIFA loan tonil, and a UEFA Hattrick grant for the AvivaStadium of €3m, representing a total of€20.5m income generated.Our Bank and other Loans stand at€48.75m and consists of €5m repayableto UEFA, with the remainder repayableto CCT, Corporate Capital Trust. FIFA’s€5m loan in 2010 to the Association wasreduced to nil by the end of 2013 and nolonger appears in Bank and other Loans.In order to maximise the value to itsmembers, the Board of the Associationcontinually monitors the financing optionsavailable to minimise its cost of capital.In overall terms, the Association is nowemerging from a challenging threeyear period, during which time wehave continued to generate operatingsurpluses, invest money into the gameand reduce our debts, thanks to strongfinancial management and generation ofadditional revenue sources.2015 will be a stronger financial year withhome games against Poland, England,Scotland and Germany all contributingsignificantly to an expected net surplusof more than €4m in the lower range ofguidance.Over the past 12 months, the FAIannounced a number of new commercialpartners. Bank of Ireland became theofficial sponsor of the FAI post-primaryschools cup competitions, while SPARare now the title sponsors of the PrimarySchool 5s competitions.The Irish Daily Mail are the new titlesponsor of the FAI Senior Cup, with thecompetition now named the Irish DailyMail FAI Senior Cup. Setanta Sportsare the new official partner of the FAI’sEmerging Talent Programme. Celtic Purebecame the Association’s Official WaterPartner and SportsWorld became theofficial title sponsor of the SportsWorldFAI Summer Soccer Schools. During thepast year, Lucozade Sport and Ford bothrenewed their partnerships with the FAIand the Senior International team.Our Primary Sponsor, Three, has beenimmensely supportive of Irish footballand the Association is delighted tobe associated with one of the leadingtelecommunications companies in thecountry.We thank all of our existing and newsponsors for their continued commitmentto Irish football and we look forward toworking successfully with them in thecoming year.During the year, the Association agreedan extension with UEFA of the 2014 –2018 centralised TV rights agreementfor the 2018 – 2022 cycle. Like theoriginal 2014 – 2018 agreement, this willhave a far reaching positive effect onthe management of the Association’sfinances, bringing certainty of revenue andacting as a counter to the cyclical nature ofincome from international football, and wethank UEFA for this important initiative.The Association is currently embarking ona new Strategic Plan that will focus on themost important issues facing the sport inthe period 2016– 2020. The period of theprevious Strategic Plan was marked by anumber of very significant milestones andhighlighted the value of good planning.Work has already started on consultationand strategic planning within strandsof the game including the SSE AirtricityLeague consultation, the National PlayerDevelopment Plan and the Women’sStrategic Plan.The work delivered in communitiesnationwide through our network ofdevelopment officers could not beachieved alone and we are very grateful toall of the national and local organisationsthat we work with. At the core of thesepartnerships, our Development Officers,who are majority co-funded with LocalAuthorities, are doing excellent workand I thank them and their respectiveLocal Authorities for their importantwork. A further co-funded DevelopmentOfficer was approved during the yearfor Longford, and I am certain that thepartnership there will provide lastingbenefits, just as others have across theentire country.We also thank the Irish Sports Council fortheir support, through Chairman KieranMulvey and CEO John Treacy, of somany of our grassroots and communityprogrammes throughout Ireland. MinisterPaschal Donohue has worked very hardsince he came into office last year tosupport the game at all levels and I thankhim for the vital role he is playing inhelping to bring about the re-developmentof Dalymount Park as well as his supportfor numerous grassroots matches andevents. Minister Michael Ring andthe Department of Transport, Tourismand Sport have also helped to deliverthe continuation of the Government’sSports Capital Grants, which are of vitalimportance for the development of clubfacilities across the country, and we thankthem for this important work.I also thank Denis O’Brien for his verygenerous support which allows us toengage a high calibre management teamunder Martin O’Neill, as well as our Board,Committee, and Council members whogive their time and expertise to bring theAssociation forward through constanthard work and hundreds of national andregional meetings throughout the year.In particular, I would like to thank the FAIPresident Tony Fitzgerald and the Board ofthe Association, for their decision to awardme a new contract through to 2020. I alsotake this opportunity to remember thosevolunteers who passed away since thelast AGM, including FAI Board memberTim Fitzgerald, former FAI PresidentCharlie Cahill, serving committee memberJohn Coughlan, as well as Jack Kelly.Our network of volunteers is the singlemost important body in the developmentof Irish football at clubs and leaguesthroughout Ireland. Your work to develop,coach and administer the game is the coreof the success of our Association and ourgame as a whole. It is your persistentdrive for improvement which provides usall with the inspiration and energy to growIrish football for the generations to come.John DelaneyChief Executive OfficerFOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 7

Fair Play rankings but took the spot aswinners Dundalk and runners-up CorkCity had already qualified for Europeancompetition through their respectiveleague positions.In the First Division, Longford Town,after going close to winning promotionin previous years, finally ended theirseven year absence from the top flight bywinning the First Division and automaticpromotion to the Premier Division. Theywere joined by Galway, who marked theirfirst season in the SSE Airtricity League,with a successful promotion campaign.After finishing third behind Longford andShelbourne, they won a play-off againstthe Dublin side and then beat UCD overtwo legs in the promotion-relegationplay-off.Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny wasnamed the SSE Airtricity Soccer WritersPersonality of the Year for the first timewhile Cork City’s Mark McNulty took theSWAI’s Goalkeeper of the Year and ChristyFagan of St Patrick’s Athletic was namedas Professional Footballers Associationof Ireland Premier Division Player of theYear Award while Longford Town’s DavidO’Sullivan won the First Division awardand Dundalk’s Daryl Horgan was namedYoung Player of the Year.O’Sullivan was also top scorer in the FirstDivision with 21 goals, three more thanDanny Furlong of Wexford Youths while inthe Premier Division there was tie on 20goals between Dundalk’s Patrick Hobanand St Patrick’s Athletic’s Christy Fagan.After a disappointing campaign in2013, Ireland representatives in UEFAcompetitions fared much better in 2014,and out of 14 matches, ended up winningseven and drawing two with three clubsadvancing a round.In the Europa League, Dundalk, SligoRovers and Derry City all advanced pastthe First Qualifying Round. Dundalk wonhome and away against Juenesse Eschof Luxembourg as did Derry City againstWelsh side Aberystwyth Town with arecord 9-0 aggregate victory. Sligo drew0-0 away to Banga of Lithuania but won4-0 in the second leg. In the secondqualifying round Sligo went to Norway inthe first leg and stunned Rosenborg witha 2-1 victory before losing the second leg3-1 at The Showgrounds. Dundalk lost 2-0to Hajduk Split but then went to Croatia,won the second leg 2-1, and came veryclose to getting the third away goal whichwould have sent them into the next round.Derry City were drawn against Belarusside Shakhtyor but lost both legs.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 20149

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014Continued2014/15 saw the number of Football for All clubs established riseto 34 since the initial six in 2010.In the Champions League St Patrick’sAthletic were unseeded in the SecondQualifying Round where they faced Polishside Legia Warsaw. St Pat’s drew 1-1 inPoland to take the driving seat in the tiebut eventually lost 5-0 in the second leg atRichmond Park.Cork City’s dominance in the SSE AirtricityU19 League was finally broken in 2015when St Patrick’s Athletic defeated DerryCity 3-2 in the League Final at MaginnPark, Buncrana to take the Dr Tony O’NeillCup. It was double heartbreak for Derry asthey were also beaten 3-2 in the final ofthe Enda McGuill Cup by UCD.There was a new format to the 2014-15U19 League with the teams divided intotwo elite regional leagues before the topfour in each division met in the knock-outstage. For the 2015-16 season, in additionto an U19 league, there will also be anew U17 league with 22 clubs taking partincluding 19 SSE Airtricity League clubs(Galway United the only omission) as wellas junior sides Salthill Devon, MervueUnited and Monaghan United CavanFootball Partnership. The U17 League willbe split into three regions with teamscompeting to make the knockout stages.This is an important improvement to theelite player pathway and bridges the gapbetween the Emerging Talent Programme,which caters for the U11 to U16 agegroups and the U19 League.Changes were also announced duringthe year to the Domestic Compensationsystem with a new structure of paymentsintroduced while it was also agreed tointroduce a new protocol to compensatetraining clubs for players who aretransferred between Associations afterturning professional.Football for All2014/15 saw the number of Football forAll clubs established rise to 34 since theinitial six in 2010. This programme hasenabled over 500 children with varyingdisabilities to join clubs and be part ofregular training sessions and friendlyfestivals involving FAI qualified coaches.By December 2015, it is expected thatthere will be over 36 community clubsproviding football opportunities for childrenwith disabilities in their community.The Power-chair Football programme,with the Association of Irish Power-chairFootball, ran its sixth National League withsix teams participating during 2014/2015season. The AIPF has gone through asmall restructuring in 2015 after they madethe decision to have one Premier League,sitting above a development league, togive game time to established clubs butalso providing development opportunitiesfor emerging clubs.The Irish Amputee Football Associationmaintained their membership of 30players in 2014/15 with regular monthlyweekend training sessions taking placein University of Limerick, and one daysessions for Leinster based players inAbbotstown. The IAFA also established aYouth Academy training out of MountviewFC, providing bi-weekly training for allplayers with amputations from 5–16 years.This academy has seen a rise in numbersin 2015 with ten members.Blind Football Ireland opened two regionalcentres in Dublin and Cork in 2014/15.Both regional centres provide regulartraining for players aged 6 to 56. Followingon from the training matches against clubteams in Germany and Czech Republicin 2014, there are two club away tripsarranged in 2015 to the Czech Republicand a visit by a Spanish club to Dublin inAugust. In December 2014 a pilot for thenew two day course Coaching Playerswith Disabilities was delivered in Dublin.The pilot was very successful and furthercourses will be delivered in 2015, startingin August 2015 in Limerick.The Football For All programme continuedto support third level institutes in 2014/15with eight visits to teacher training,sports science and PE colleges to deliverinclusive football training to students.In December 2014, external fundingsecured in 2011 for the Football For AllMunster Club Development Officerposition was rejected, which was verydisappointing as we had demonstratedhow much work was delivered and howmany lives the position had impactedpositively. However, the role was securedafter the intervention of the FAI Boardto make the position fully funded bythe Association. This demonstrates theAssociation’s continued commitment tothe ethos that every person in Irelanddeserves to play football.In 2014/15, we continued to support ournetwork of special schools across thecountry with individual coaching sessions,interprovincial squad sessions, andsupport for the special schools nationalsports council. We also developed anew programme within FFA to supportthose with mental health difficulties,achieved through community mentalhealth teams across Ireland. The Kick Startto Recovery mental health programmebegan in 2014 in Dublin central, and wehave overseen the development of sevennew programmes in Louth, Wexford,Westmeath, Meath, Sligo and Limerick.The programme uses football to supportre-engagement with communities, incollaboration with local OccupationalTherapists. We look forward to buildingfurther on this success during the comingyear.10FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Top: Roy Keane meets members of the Republicof Ireland Amputee squad before they travelledto the Amputee Football World Cup in Mexico.Left: Ireland compete in Limerick at the PowerchairEPFA Championships.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 11

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedLeft: Cork IT in action against Dublin BusinessSchool, in the Semi-Finals of the FAI CollegesNational Futsal Finals in IT Sligo .Opposite Page: Assistant referee MichelleO’Neill. SEE Airtricity League Premier Division.Referee Padraig Sutton in SSE Airtricity LeaguePremier Division action.Intercultural ProgrammeThe Intercultural Football Programmeworks to promote participation, raiseawareness, and educate on the issues ofracism and discrimination.One example of a very successfulpartnership delivered in the pastyear includes the PolskaEire Festival.Conceived by the Minister of State withresponsibility for New Communities,Aodhán Ó Riordáin, to champion thediversity and contribution that the Polishcommunity brings to Ireland, PolskaEirewas established as a nationwide festivalwith a mixture of football and culturalactivities to coincide with the Republicof Ireland v Poland UEFA EURO 2016qualifier. The events included nationwideClub Open Day blitzes with grassrootsclubs in Galway, Cork, Dublin, an adultopen Futsal Tournament in conjunctionwith the Emerald Futsal League, schoolbased football events, and two flagshipfriendly matches featuring the Irish andPolish Amateur teams that had qualifiedfor the UEFA Regions’ Cup. The eventswere very successful in bringing Irish andPolish people together using football.In addition, we are also engaged inan innovative European Commissionsupported project under the ErasmusPlus Sports programme, designedto encourage and support greatervolunteering in football by developingresources and helpful information availablefor volunteers. Roundtable discussionsand focus groups with clubs andcommunity stakeholders have taken placeduring the year to support this.Our usual core participation programmesfor children, including the MyClub afterschooland Club Open Day programmeswere delivered once more across Ireland.The MyClub programme takes place inan after-school setting, while the ClubOpen Day programme is based withinclubs as either an open session or openday. Both programmes are linked toencourage continuity of participationin football through a local club or otherFAI run programmes. Futsal is usedby the Intercultural programme topromote participation by adults. Underour educational remit, through localworkshops, we continue to work oneducating FAI affiliates and staff in thearea of good governance and awarenesswith respect to the issue of racism.We also support sports based antidiscriminationprojects and campaigns,including the UEFA backed Footballagainst Racism in Europe Campaign.Throughout the year, we ran 63programmes with 2,011 childrenranging in ages from 7 to 12 years.30% of participants had origins fromoverseas or came from ethnic minoritybackgrounds. 17 Club Open Days tookplace with 770 participants. Three AdultFutsal programmes were also deliveredin Galway, Limerick, and Wexford. Thisinvolved 179 adult participants and 40%had origins from overseas or came fromethnic minority backgrounds.FAI and Show Racism the Red Cardworked together to target schoolsacross the country during FARE Week.Classroom based DVD presentationsand Football PE sessions were deliveredby Development Officers in over 100primary and secondary schools with anestimated 3,000 students involved. This isthe eighth year that the FAI InterculturalFootball Programme has supported theFARE Week campaign including actionsin conjunction with community partnersand affiliated members. The Republic ofIreland National team kicked-off its supportfor the FARE Campaign at the UEFA 2016European Championships Qualifier againstGibraltar on October 11.Captains wore No to Racism armbandsand exchanged No to Racism pennantsThe match day programme contained aNo to Racism page and the No to Racismadvertisement was displayed on stadiumTV screen. Prior to FARE week, Irishplayers during their training camp woreFARE week t-shirts to show support forthe campaign.Ten SSE Airtricity League and ContinentalTyres Women’s National League clubssupported the campaign with on pitchactivities. Activities were supportedwith materials from the FAI Interculturalprogramme and Show Racism the RedCard (SRTRC) initiatives. Sport AgainstRacism Ireland also liaised with specificclubs to invite residents of asylum seekingaccommodation centres to NationalLeague matches.At community level 2,300 people wereinvolved in actions in support of the FAREweek campaign. 30 clubs, leagues, youthservices, and education establishmentstook part in a wide range of localinitiatives, including league matches,school and college blitzes, and anti-racismawareness DVD screenings.Nine club and league workshops wereheld throughout the country. Anti-racismsections have been developed andincluded in the Referee Education moduleas part of mandatory training to maintaintheir FAI Referee Licence.Seven cases were formally referred to theFAI for direct management. Four caseswere re-referred to relevant affiliate bodyfor direct management.Over 10,000 people took part in the FAI’sintercultural programmes during the pastyear with over 30% of participants onall programmes having diverse ethnic,cultural or national backgrounds andheritages, underpinning the strongrole that football continues to play inpromoting integration and inclusion.12FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Refereeing UnitThe FAI announced the appointmentof John Ward in January as NationalReferee Co-Ordinator, succeeding JamesFinnegan.The introduction of Child Welfare trainingfor all registered referees was a majorchallenge for the department and, incooperation with the Child WelfareDepartment, plans were formulated toensure that we started the roll-out ofthis project on a pilot basis in Dublin bySeptember 2014. As and from August2015, successful completion of the CWAworkshop and Garda Vetting clearancewill be a compulsory requirement for allregistered referees.A Futsal referee conversion course washeld in Athlone to facilitate the expansionof the FAI Futsal Senior Cup. RefereeBeginners courses were run nationwideand over 300 participants successfullycompleted the 15 hour course andqualified as Grassroots Referees. OurReferee Beginners courses are coordinatedby former FIFA Referee JohnFeighery who liaises with our RegionalReferee Committees to ensure thatcourses are delivered in line with UEFAreferee convention recommendations.The National Grassroots RefereesAnnual Seminars (26) provided furtherdevelopment opportunities for ourGrassroots Referees. The seventh FAIReferee School of Excellence, headed byformer international referee, Ian Stokes,was launched in August with invitationsto Referee Observers to nominatecandidates for the three year, eightmodule programme.Elite refereesOur Elite Referees and Observers annualseminar was held in Dublin in Februaryand once again participants enjoyed awell organised and successful event withexcellent learning opportunities providedby a host of presenters including AdamWatts who is the Assistant Refereecoach for the Premier League’s AssistantReferees.On the domestic front one of the mostexciting title races of recent times saw anumber of high profile games throughoutthe season and our Elite Refereesdisplayed a high level of consistency intheir performance. Referee Graham Kellyled a team of six officials for the EA SportsCup Final and they received high praisefor their performance. The FAI SeniorCup final match officials, led by RefereePadraigh Sutton also received high praisefor their handling of the game.On the international front, our FIFAReferees Paula Brady, Padraig Sutton,Neil Doyle, Rhona Daly, Paul McLaughlinand Robert Rogers had a number ofappointments in European club andinternational fixtures. Assistant RefereeWayne McDonnell, was appointed tothe UEFA U19 Championship Final inHungary and Assistant Damien MacGraithcontinued to receive a number of highprofile appointments in UEFA competitiongames with a team of Scottish officials.The 34-year old Mayo native has beenappointed as First Assistant at the UEFASuper Cup between Barcelona and Sevillain August 2015.FIFA Futsal Referee Simon Rogersreceived excellent reviews followinghis performance in a Futsal Cupmini-tournament in Austria, and wassubsequently appointed to an Elite phasetournament in Kazakhstan.During the year we also receivedinvitations to appoint officials to theprestigious Cyprus Cup (Rhona Daly) andassistant referee Michelle O’Neill hadthe honour of officiating in the AlgarveCup. Michelle’s recent appointment tothe Women’s World Cup, where she wasappointed in the second round matchbetween Costa Rica and Korea, and asassistant referee in the quarter final fixturebetween China and the USA was anotherhuge achievement.Referee Robert Harvey successfullycompleted his UEFA CORE consolidationcourse and graduated with honours fromthe UEFA CORE programme.The Referees Department has beenvery active in exchanging officials forinternational and domestic games withappointments approved internationally. Theexchange programme is an essential partin the on-going development of our nextgeneration of elite officials.Child Welfare and SafeguardingThe delivery of Child Welfare trainingreached a significant milestone duringthe year with over 9,000 participantscompleting the three hour basicawareness course since late 2012. Theaddition of new tutors has helped ensurecourses are delivered on a weekly basis.We continue to train new tutors to ensurea presence in every part of the country.Donal Conway (Chairman) and the FAIChild Welfare Committee continue tomeet regularly to review progress. Akey aspect includes the review of GardaVetting applications to ensure that childrenand young people participate in all footballactivities in a safe environment.Each FAI Department places child welfareat the centre of its preparation whendelivering programmes to children in linewith the principles outlined in the FAI ChildWelfare Policy.Over 19,000 Garda Vetting applicationshave been submitted to the Garda CentralVetting Unit and we continue to workclosely with them.Under Children First National Guidelinesand impending legislation, all affiliatedmembers are obliged to ensure thateveryone working with under 18s must be(a) Garda vetted and (b) have completed achild welfare course. Clubs can organise aFOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 13

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedLeft: Republic of Ireland International StephanieRoche at the FIFA Ballon D’Or 2014.Opposite Page: Aine O’Gorman, UCD Waves, inaction against Niamh Walsh, Raheny United. FAIContinental Tyres Senior Women’s Cup Final.Child Welfare Course and Garda vetting bycontacting childwelfare@fai.ie.The Association is working with all clubs/leagues and other affiliated members toreview and implement the FAI rule on theprotection and welfare of children with theobjective of ensuring that all members arecompliant with relevant child protectionguidelines and legislation.Women’s FootballWomen’s football in Ireland grew andincreased visibility over the past 12months. The UEFA Women’s ChampionsLeague, the televising of senior women’snational team matches, the Women’sU19s reaching the European semifinals,the Women’s Under 17s reachingthe European finals, the FIFA Live YourGoals campaign, the progression of theContinental Tyres Women’s NationalLeague, and televised coverage of theContinental Tyres FAI Senior Women’sCup Final in Aviva Stadium all contributedsignificantly.However, it is fair to say that thenomination of Stephanie Roche’s goal tothe shortlist of three for the FIFA PuskasAward caught the imagination of thepublic in a manner that has deliveredhuge impact and lasting awareness forthe women’s game in Ireland. Duringthis period, Stephanie proved once againthat she is an incredible ambassador, notjust for the women’s game, but for Irishfootball in general.During the year we also welcomedContinental Tyres as new sponsor of theWomen’s National League which kickedoff with fresh enthusiasm in August.Raheny United topped their ChampionsLeague qualification group with maximumpoints and were through to the knockoutstages. UCD joined forces with DLRWaves to become UCD Waves.Early results proved it wasn’t going to bea two horse race, with Raheny United,Peamount United, UCD Waves andWexford Youths all showing promisingform. In early November, Raheny Unitedand UCD Waves met in Aviva Stadium forthe Continental Tyres FAI Women’s SeniorCup Final, a game that ebbed and flowedand could have gone either way. All squareafter 90 minutes, it went into extra time.Raheny’s Siobhan Killeen clinched thewinner as the Pandas picked up the Cupfor the third consecutive year.In League action it was Wexford YouthsWomen’s AFC who were leading thecharge for top spot, three points clearheading into December. Into the New Year,the Youths were determined to see off thechallenge of their rivals Raheny United andUCD Waves. With wins over both Rahenyand UCD it put Wexford Youths in a verystrong position heading into the final fewweeks.The game that finally sealed the title camewhen Wexford edged a 2-1 win againstRaheny in the capital, securing their firstever league title in the Continental TyresWNL with three games to spare.While UCD Waves and Raheny battledto finish second, Peamount United’sreturn to form saw them finish in fourthplace and also secure their place in theContinental Tyres WNL Cup Final againstRaheny United where they lost 2-1 afterextra time.Galway Women’s FC finished in sixth placewhile Cork City Women’s FC finishedseventh.Wexford will now go on to representIreland in the UEFA Women’s ChampionsLeague qualifiers in August while theContinental Tyres Women’s NationalLeague will benefit from the presenceof an eighth club next season with theaddition of Kilkenny United Women’s FC.During the year the Association workedvery closely with the WFAI to developthe Women’s Strategic Plan 2015 –2020. This started with presentationsto the WFAI Committee and Council. Aconsultation roadshow followed in Cork,Sligo and Dublin, incorporating GrassrootsDevelopment, High Performance,Education, Promotion and Marketing,where agreement was reached onnew structures based on regional unitsto focus on development. Generalconsensus among the grassroots of thewomen’s game is for the creation of eightregional structures to implement nationalguidelines and giving regional focus to anyaspects that require attention.The five strategic pillars, GrassrootsDevelopment, High Performance,Education, Promotion and Marketingwill be the focus of the coming yearsfor developing women’s football whenmeasuring success and sustainability inthe implementation of programmes andprojects. The areas will be subdividedwith specific key performance indicators,helping us to track our achievements andevaluate women’s football development.Work is now underway in this area andClare Conlon has been appointed asWomen’s Football Administrator.14FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 15

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedIn order to fully support the rollout ofthe plan, it is proposed that a new FAIWomen’s Football Committee will beset up to oversee the development andgrowth of girls’ and women’s football inIreland. This Committee will spearhead anew governance structure for women’sand girls’ football and will replace existingstructures. The Women’s Committeewill have representatives to include achairperson and vice chairperson (electedby the National Convention for Women’sfootball), elected representatives from theregions, nominated representatives fromthe FAI and a nominated representativefrom the Women’s National LeagueCommittee.Coach EducationThe FAI Coach Education programmecontinues to evolve and grow with theever-increasing demands and skillsetsrequired in modern coaching and footballteam management.In the past 12 months, FAI CoachEducation has continued to expandthe number of courses on offer to thenear 9,000 participants that now attendcourses on an annual basis. Thesecourses, from grassroots workshops tothe UEFA Pro Licence, are key to helpingsustain and grow the game both hereand abroad, as the Irish diaspora continueto return to attend courses at all levels.On a domestic level, the number offemale participants and those from ethnicminority backgrounds also continuesto grow as the courses, and the gameitself, becomes increasingly accessiblethroughout the country and beyond.Over the past year, it has also been notedthat an increasing number of high profileplayers and coaches seek FAI CoachEducation for their coach development,from SSE Airtricity League players toIreland International players, UEFAChampions League winners and thoseinvolved in national leagues throughoutthe world.In May 2015, we completed the thirdseminar of our combined UEFA B &A Diploma Coaching Course, speciallydesigned in conjunction with the UEFAJira Panel, for current and past membersof our Senior international squad includingRobbie Keane, Keith Andrews, StephenKelly, Paul McShane, Alan Quinn, KevinFoley, Andy Keogh, Glenn Whelan, GaryKelly, John O’Shea and Andy Reid. Thesecoaches now enter a period of practicalassessments whilst also completingtasks and assignments as part of theirexperiential learning.A new UEFA A Licence course alsosaw former International players, andcurrent SSE Airtricity League players,Alan Bennett and Stephen McPhail begintheir studies at that level alongside CarloCudicini who returned after completinghis UEFA B Licence with us previously.Carlo has also taken up the role ofGoalkeeping Coach with the Ireland U21team, further enhancing the link betweenthe Coach Education Department and ourinternational teams.Given the huge popularity and interestin our UEFA Licence courses, and to tryand keep those who have previouslyattended our UEFA B Licence courses, abespoke UEFA A Licence course was alsooffered during the 2015 off-season, whichsaw Michel Salgado (former Spanishinternational) return alongside DanielGabbidon (former Welsh international),and Jimmy Brennan (former CanadianInternational) amongst other high-profilecandidates and Irish players currentlyplaying in England or elsewhere.Our hugely popular UEFA B Licence hasalso attracted some names worthy ofnote this year, with former internationalplayers Damien Duff, Stephen Hunt, LiamLawrence, and Thomas Butler all attendingalongside Irish coaches who are workingas far afield as Canada, USA, and Turkey.Jim McGuinness, High PerformanceConsultant at Celtic FC, also started hisUEFA B Licence studies this year andhas been a welcome addition as a guestspeaker on our UEFA Pro Licence.The delivery of the UEFA Pro Licencecourse itself has now been completed interms of course seminars and we lookforward to working with our 17 candidatesbetween now and the end of 2015 forthem to graduate from the course. Inparticular, we will welcome our firsttwo female graduates of the UEFA ProLicence course, as well as others who arecurrently working in the women’s game, ateither National League level or underageinternational level.It almost goes without saying at thisstage that all of the above coursesinclude many members of the PFAI,such are the relationships between thetwo organisations as we work togetherto enhance the opportunities for playersduring or immediately after their careers.The imminent launch of the FAI NationalPlayer Development Plan will lead tomany more developments in the coacheducation pathway, with many coursesand workshops being further tailored andstrengthened to furnish our coaches withthe most appropriate skills when workingwith a specific age-group or specialism ofplayer.16FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Right: Eddie Murphy, then Managing Directorof Ford Ireland, with the four of the winningtickets at the Irish Football National Draw inNovember.Opposite Page: FAI/UEFA B licence course,including Damien Duff and Stephen Hunt.Republic of Ireland international Robbie Keaneduring a FAI/UEFA coaching course. Institute ofTechnology, Carlow.Coaches’ AssociationThe FAI Coaches’ Association continues tofocus on delivering regular, valuable, highquality content for its members, as wellas engaging more with the public throughsocial media where it is driving traffic tothe website and increasing awareness.In the 12 months from July 2014 to June2015, 348 new members have beenadded, bringing the total up to 1,259.Traffic to the website has also increasedby approximately 20% year on year, withan average of 5,225 visits per month.Adding more value for members is alwaysa priority, and research has begun on howto develop the offering further, as well aslooking at how the online platform cansupport the Coach Education departmentas a whole.Club and League DevelopmentThe Club and League DevelopmentProgramme continues to engage andsupport the work of clubs and leaguesacross the country. Projects such asthe Club Census, Club Q-Mark, HeadsUp newsletter, Club Kiosk Initiative andthe Irish Football National Draw provideguidance, information and fundraisingopportunities for grassroots clubs andleagues.Following on from the pilot of the ClubCensus and the Q-Mark in 2013, theyhave both been rolled out further tothe 165 clubs that participated in theFuture Football Programme. The censusis an online questionnaire that capturesfeedback on a wide range of topicsincluding teams, coaches, facilities,development and management practiceswithin clubs - information which has neverpreviously been gathered on this scale.The information collected will help definethe development and support needs ofclubs.The Club Quality Mark is a system thatsupports and recognises those clubsthat are well run, sustainable and keepchild welfare and safety at the coreof what they do. It also recognises aclub’s commitment to coaching, playerdevelopment, coach development,inclusiveness and raising standards ofbehaviour in the game. A big emphasishas been placed on this element of theFuture Football Programme this year witha range of support materials currentlybeing developed for clubs involved.Through both of these initiatives, wehave opened up new lines of dialoguewith clubs on a wide range of operationalmatters, and gained insights into theirstructures, that will help us continue toidentify best practice.Effective communication with the footballfamily is an area we are continually lookingto enhance. The Heads Up e-zine hashelped streamline communication withclubs and leagues and we have strived toensure content is relevant, interesting andaccessible for all clubs and leagues.In addition to the Irish Football NationalDraw, another new fundraising schemefor clubs was launched in 2014 - theClub Kiosk Initiative. Although on a muchsmaller scale than the National Draw,it has provided funds to those clubsinvolved. Run in conjunction with AvivaStadium and Compass Catering, it is opento any club that applied for the Aviva Clubof the Year. For each senior men’s homeinternational, two clubs get to decorateone of the food kiosks in the stadium withclub gear and receive a percentage ofrevenue from that kiosk on the day. Eightmembers of the club get tickets for thematch and also have the opportunity to doa coin collection if they wish.Irish Football National DrawThe Irish Football National Draw has beenhugely popular with clubs and leaguessince its launch in 2013. The draw providesclubs with a risk free and effective meansof fundraising and is suitable for clubs ofany size in any part of the country.The prize draws took place in the AvivaStadium on November 8 before and athalf time in the FAI Cup Final where fourlucky winners each came away with abrand new Ford Fiesta Car. In total therewere more than 2,000 prizes on offer withwinners from all counties.A further enhancement of the draw in2014 was the addition of extra prizes forthe local club draws. Depending on howmany tickets each club ordered, additionalprizes were made available to clubs fortheir own local draw. The FAI providedthe prizes to the club and they undertookthis draw themselves prior to submittingall ticket stubs to the FAI. Prizes includedmatch tickets, Summer Soccer Schoolplaces, Ireland kits and England matchtickets. This addition was very wellreceived, and helped ensure that almostevery club had prize winners.The National Draw continues to be anextremely valuable means for raisingmoney for clubs and leagues and isexpected to grow even further in 2015.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 17

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedNow in its third year, the McDonalds Future Football Programmehas focused on the development of players, coaches, andclubs. This is achieved by focusing on small-sided games as thepreferred model for young player development, the provisionof a Club Support Programme to guide clubs in best practice inadministration, management, planning and development, and alsoby delivering 4v4 and 7v7 workshops free of charge to coachesfrom participating clubs.McDonalds Future FootballProgrammeNow in its third year, the McDonaldsFuture Football Programme has focusedon the development of players, coaches,and clubs. This is achieved by focusingon small-sided games as the preferredmodel for young player development, theprovision of a Club Support Programmeto guide clubs in best practice inadministration, management, planningand development, and also by delivering4v4 and 7v7 workshops free of charge tocoaches from participating clubs.The Future Football Cup provides theopportunity for participating clubs to playsmall sided games against one anotherin a non-pressurised environment thatfocuses on player development ratherthan results, culminating in a nationalFuture Football Finals day in October. LocalCommunity Football Fun Days are alsoorganised with the aim of bringing clubs,players and local communities together fora day of football activities.Growing sharply since 2013 when theprogramme catered for 83 clubs andapproximately 4,000 children, there arenow 165 clubs involved and it is expectedthat over 7,000 children will take part in2015. The number of events has alsogrown from 22 annually to 33.This year has also seen a greater focus onrewarding grassroots coaches. A ‘Coachof the Day’ award has been added, andfor those coaches seen to be doing thingsthe right way, there have been ticketgiveaways, and invitations to the firstFuture Football Coaching Symposium –held at Abbotstown on Monday June 8.At this event, 50 grassroots coaches aswell as ten McDonald’s franchisees cametogether for a series of presentations fromCraig Brown (Scotland), Ruud Dokter (FAI),Amir Asfar (McDonald’s Ireland), and TomMohan (FAI).The learnings continue to build year onyear, and the aim is to always refocus andensure the programme delivers adequatebenefits for clubs that are in line with theFAI’s strategic goals. To this end, this yearthe programme was able to provide anumber of free footballs for participatingclubs. We hope to continue this offeringand perhaps expand it to include otherequipment that is in high demand forclubs.The Club Support element has been fullyrolled out to all 165 clubs through theonline Club Census. Submissions havebeen analysed and clubs are now workingthrough the requirements to help themprogress.FAI / Education and TrainingBoards Local Training InitiativesThe Local Training Initiatives supportedformerly by FÁS but now by variousEducation and Training Boards have beenin operation for over 20 years, and havebeen providing young players who haveleft school early or are unemployed apathway into employment or furthereducation.The programme has also provided anunrivalled pool of players who havebenefitted from the full-time trainingenvironment and expert tuition from topquality coaches such as Harry McCue, LeoTierney and Gerry Davis to mention justthree of the 16 FAI staff employed to coordinatethe programme.To illustrate this point, a survey carriedout at the start of the 2015 SSE AirtricityLeague season noted that there were 96former or current trainees participatingin the first series of fixtures. The traineeswere represented in 19 of the 20 clubs.Many of the trainees have alsorepresented Ireland at internationallevel and two players from last year’scourses, Lee Desmond from the Irishtownprogramme and Dylan Connolly from theCabra programme were involved with theU21 international team earlier this year.Both players have progressed to full timeprofessional football since completing thecourse, Lee with St Patrick’s Athletic FCand Dylan with Ipswich Town FC.The programme operates at eight venuesthroughout the country including;• Irishtown, Dublin• Clondalkin, Dublin• Cabra, Dublin• Carrigaline, Cork• Blarney, Cork• Ringmahon, Cork• Limerick• CastlebarAll of the trainees complete a FETAC level4 or 5 Award in Sport and RecreationStudies and most complete the ITEC GymInstruction award, which will allow themto seek employment in the Sports andLeisure Industry.This year’s collective results in the FETACawards achieved some of the highestmarks since the programme began andthe progression results into employmentor further education outperforms manyother local training initiatives.18FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Above: Republic of Ireland and Evertonmidfielder Aiden McGeady at the launch of theMcDonald’s FAI Future Football programme.Left: Harry McCue, Republic of Ireland U21assistant manager and ETB Programme Coordinator.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 19

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedLeft and below: Robbie Brady and David Meylertake some time out meet members of theSummer Soccer Schools Golden Camp.Opposite Page: Adam McDermott, LoughlynnNS, Co. Roscommon, celebrates after scoringhis side’s second goal against Neale NS, Co.Mayo in the SPAR FAI Primary School 5’sConnacht Finals.20FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

In 2014 the FAI Summer Soccer School programme reachedrecord participation, with 23,496 children taking part in ourcamps over an eight week period. This was an increase of18.5% on participation numbers in 2013. Our most successfulyear prior to this saw 22,000 children taking part in 2008.SportsWorld FAI SummerSoccer SchoolsIn 2014 the FAI Summer Soccer Schoolprogramme reached record participation,with 23,496 children taking part in ourcamps over an eight week period. Thiswas an increase of 18.5% on participationnumbers in 2013. Our most successfulyear prior to this saw 22,000 childrentaking part in 2008.The first 5,000 participants whobooked a place online in 2014 receiveda complimentary adult and child ticketto a senior international fixture at AvivaStadium. Our new financial structurecontinued to deliver benefits for clubs withover €350,000 being paid out in profitto host clubs around the country. A keyobjective arising from 2013 performancewas to recruit additional clubs to run withour Soccer School model and we havecontinued to see positive results in thisarea with a record number of clubs signedup for this year’s programme. Following aslight decrease in goalkeeper participationlast year, the goalkeeper camp model wasrestructured completely. Goalkeeperscan now take part in specific goalkeepingsections within our mainstream camp.This move has meant that the FAI arethe only football camp model offering acomplete package for young goalkeeperswith position specific coaching nowcoupled with small sided games for bothoutfield players and goalkeepers.With prices remaining low at just€65 for this year’s camps, we aim togrow participation numbers further.SportsWorld, part of the Heatons group,are now on board as title sponsor forthe programme and already our newpartnership has led to some excitingdevelopments. We announced TempleStreet Children’s Hospital as charitypartner for the programme and havealready raised significant funds for thehospital. Our very successful SoccerSisters programme has come underthe FAI Camps umbrella and also hasSportsWorld as title sponsor. A keyaim of this year’s camps has been todevelop both Soccer Sisters and SummerSoccer Schools to ensure that we deliverincreases in the number of girls playingfootball around the country.SPAR FAI Primary schools 5-a-sideSPAR became national title sponsor ofthe SPAR FAI Primary Schools 5 a-sidecompetition in February. 2,387 teams (up111 from last year) from 1,069 schools (up31 from last year) competed in the SPARFAI Primary Schools 5s competition witha total of 12,040 boys and 7,056 girls. TheNational finals were held in Aviva Stadiumin May 2014. The programme catered fora total of 19,096 participants (up 888 fromlast year).Colleges and UniversitiesUCD retained the Umbro Colleges andUniversities Football League PremierDivision with a 6-5 penalty shoot-outvictory over NUI Maynooth, in FrankCooke Park. Colaiste Stiofain Naofaclaimed the Division 1 title, whilst ITBlanchardstown B and NUI MaynoothC took home the Division 3 and 4 titlesrespectively . The IUFU Collingwood Cuptook place in NUI Galway this year andUniversity College Cork defeated TrinityCollege Dublin 3-1 in an exciting final.Indeed UCC claimed a unique treble thisyear by also capturing the IUFU HardingCup and the IUFU Crowley Cup. IT Carlowwon the CFAI Umbro Cup for a recordbreakingfourth year in a row, beatingColaiste Stiofan Naofa 2-0 in the AULComplex. Limerick IT secured the UmbroPlate, with Dublin IT B and Bray Instituteof Further Education claiming the B TeamCup and Bob Eustace Cup respectively.The Women’s Soccer Colleges PremierFinal was won by NUI Maynooth whodefeated IT Carlow 2-0. The finals daywas held in Leixlip with IT Sligo retainingthe Premier Plate. University of UlsterJordanstown won the First Division andAthlone IT retained the Challenge Cup.The Intervarsities were held in WaterfordIT and UCD overcame UCC 1-0. WaterfordIT retained the Intervarsities Plate beatingUniversity of Limerick and Athlone IT wonthe Shield defeating Cork IT.Social InclusionIn partnership with national and localbodies, the Association runs a wide rangeof social inclusion initiatives that make areal difference to the lives of thousandsof people annually in some of our mostdisadvantaged communities.Our work in the social inclusion areauses the power and attraction offootball and contributes to increasedsocial capital within communitiesthroughout Ireland. The work is verydiverse but immensely beneficial inhelping to improve community structuresby addressing issues as varied andcomplex as antisocial behaviour, mentalhealth problems, youths’ self-esteem,unemployment, local area tensions oreven the experiences of children whohave a parent in prison. These are allmodern day challenges that are frequentlypresent in the disadvantaged areas whereour Development Officers work. Throughits social inclusion programmes, the FAIuses football to assist in improving youngpeople’s lifestyle choices.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 21

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedThanks to insurance companyIPB’s support, the Late NiteLeague Programme (run inconjunction with Gardaí, localauthorities and Departmentof Children and Youth Affairs)has now expanded far beyondthe Greater Dublin area into abroad national reach.Some highlights during 2014/15 include:• National Expansion of ‘Late NiteLeagues’Thanks to insurance company IPB’ssupport, the Late Nite LeagueProgramme (run in conjunction withGardaí, local authorities and Departmentof Children and Youth Affairs) has nowexpanded far beyond the GreaterDublin area into a broad national reach.The programme aims to divert youthsaway from drink, drugs and anti-socialbehaviour during prime target hours,generally on Friday and Saturday nights.The programme also facilitates acommunication channel for Gardaí toengage with youths, often a difficult toreach target group. Numerous Gardatestimonials cite this engagement asbeing a real help in improved communitypolicing.For Q1 2015 a total of 55 centresnationally delivered this diversionaryscheme, affecting 2,900 youths. Thelargest expansion area has been Corkcity where there were eight centresin Q1. The highlight of this successwas Roy Keane’s attendance at Cork’sarea finals in March. His interest in theProgramme and his presence on thisnight really made it a great event.• Youth Mentoring Scheme – SouthEast Inner City DublinUtilising football as a progressive tool todivert unemployed youths into clubvolunteerism.Local Development Officer JonathanTormey identified 20 talentedunemployed players graduating fromyouth football into the junior game.To give this group direction, Jonathansourced local funding to have lads attendKick Start Coach Education Courses andlinked them to local schoolboy clubs.This initiative has succeeded ingrowing the number of local grassrootscoaches, and enabled local youths tomake positive contributions to theircommunity. Additionally, these youngpeople are now positive role-models intheir area.• Driving Forward Programme -Unemployed Numeracy / LiteracyDifficulties LeitrimThe Driving Forward Programme isfunded by the International Fund forIreland and led by Leitrim CountyCouncil. The programme receivedsupport from various agencies includingthe FAI, GAA, Department of SocialWelfare, Leitrim Enterprise Office, theEducation Training Board and An GardaSíochána.The Programme targets unemployed18–25 year olds from Co. Leitrim thathave left school early or have literacy/numeracy difficulties. The programmeis designed to help participants gainpractical qualifications and build theirCVs, allowing them to become coacheswithin their own communities.22FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014Continued24FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Left: Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neillat Aviva Stadium.Opposite Page: Republic of Ireland’s JohnO’Shea, centre, celebrates after scoring hisside’s equalising goal against Germany.InternationalSenior MenFollowing the end of season matchesagainst Turkey, Italy, Costa Rica andPortugal Martin O’Neill’s men steppedup preparations for the start of the UEFAEURO 2016 qualification campaign witha home match against Oman. Ireland ranout comfortable winners scoring twowithout reply, one from Kevin Doyle aftertwenty minutes, wrapped up by AlexPearce in the 82nd.It was on to Georgia for the opening awayEURO qualification match in Tbilisi. AidenMcGeady produced a moment of magic inthe 90th minute to score a sublime winnerafter his opening effort in the 24th minutehad been cancelled out by an equallyspectacular goal from Georgian midfielderTornike Okriashvili, giving Ireland theperfect start to their campaign.In October, Ireland returned home toplay Gibraltar. Robbie Keane scored ahat-trick inside 13 minutes to become theleading all-time scorer in the history ofthe European Championship qualifiers asthe Republic of Ireland cruised to victoryover the Group D minnows. A brace fromJames McClean, a fine solo strike fromman-of-the-match Wes Hoolahan and abizarre own goal from visiting goalkeeperJordan Perez completed the scoring.Ireland then faced the daunting task oftaking on the World Champions Germanyon their home soil and John O’Sheamarked his 100th cap with an injury-timeequaliser to stun the home crowd andmaintain Ireland’s unbeaten start to theEuro 2016 qualifying campaign. Germanyhad looked to be on course for a narrowvictory courtesy of a 71st minute goalfrom playmaker Toni Kroos but O’Sheapopped up in the box in the 94th minuteto turn home a pull-back from JeffHendrick, providing a fairy-tale end to thematch for the Waterford man.Ireland’s excellent start to their Euro 2016qualifying campaign suffered a set-backin Glasgow when they were beaten byScotland. A 75th minute goal from ShaunMaloney separated the teams on a nightwhen the absence of key players, inparticular the mid-field pairing of GlennWhelan and James McCarthy throughinjury, was sorely felt by Ireland. The finalminutes of the game saw the Irish laysiege to the Scottish goal and they almostsneaked an equaliser in added time whena free-kick by Robbie Brady was headedagainst his own crossbar by Hanley butit was not to be for the Boys in Green inGlasgow.Four days later, Ireland returned hometo face the USA in a Three Internationalfriendly at Aviva Stadium. Goals fromAnthony Pilkington, James McClean anda brace from man-of-the-match RobbieBrady gave the Republic of Ireland anencouraging 4-1 victory, in which MartinO’Neill handed debuts to Cyrus Christieand David McGoldrick.On March 29, Group D front-runners,Poland, came to Dublin. In a crackingqualifier at a packed Aviva Stadium, Polandshaded the first half to lead from the26th minute through Slawomir Peszko.Ireland battled back and utterly dominatedthe second period, hitting the woodworktwice before deservedly levelling with acoolly taken goal from substitute ShaneLong in the first minute of added time toraise the roof of the Dublin 4 venue.In June, Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane’sthoughts turned to the return competitivematch against Scotland, and beganpreparations with a behind closed doorstraining match against Northern Irelandin an exercise that ended scoreless onJune 4. Three days later, and Englandmade a historic visit to the Aviva Stadium.The prestigious friendly ended in a 0-0draw and provided ideal preparation in amatch where Ireland created a number ofchances and Harry Arter made his debut.On June 13, the season came to aclose with a 1-1 draw against Scotland.Ireland opened the scoring after JonWalters pounced on a save from Scotlandgoalkeeper David Marshall on 38 minutes.The Stoke City attacker fired in after DarylMurphy originally met Robbie Brady’scorner kick and forced the ball to dropkindly for Walters. However after thebreak, Scotland came flying out with ashot from Shaun Maloney which took anunfortunate deflection off captain JohnO’Shea, spinning into the net past Given.It was a cruel goal to concede for O’Neill’smen.With four remaining matches inqualification, Ireland remain in contention,and will resume the campaign withmatches in September against Gibraltarand Georgia.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 25

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedThe Women’s National Team finished third behind Germany andRussia in their FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifying group with arecord haul of 17 points and they moved up to 29th in the FIFAWorld Rankings, just two places below their highest ever position.Women’s SeniorThe Women’s National Team finished thirdbehind Germany and Russia in their FIFAWomen’s World Cup qualifying group witha record haul of 17 points and they movedup to 29th in the FIFA World Rankings,just two places below their highest everposition.Their final home qualifying game wasat Tallaght Stadium in August againstSlovenia and goals in either half from JulieAnn Russell and Fiona O’Sullivan gave SueRonan’s side a 2-0 victory.The following month they finished thecampaign with away games againstSlovakia and Germany. Despite dominatingthe game against Slovakia, and creating 23goal-scoring chances, the only goal of thegame didn’t arrive until two minutes intoinjury time when Dora Gorman split thehome defence with a through pass thatStephanie Roche coolly finished.Four days later the side met groupwinners Germany in Heidenheim and twogoals in a six minute spell midway throughthe first half were enough to ensure thatthe Germans finished with a 100 percent record and moved to No.1 in theFIFA World Rankings but their toughestmatches in the campaign came againstIreland.Julie Ann Russell, who turned out tobe the second most fouled player inthe European section of the World Cupqualifying campaign, was subsequentlynamed Senior International Player of theYear.The Women’s National Team squadgathered in La Manga in January tocommence preparations for 2015 and,in particular, the EURO 2017 campaignscheduled to commence in September.The week long camp involved 19 players,five of whom were newcomers to thesquad, and also a training game againstNorway which Ireland lost 3-1.In March, the Women’s National Teamcompeted for the first time at the IstriaCup in Croatia and were drawn in a groupwith Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, one ofthree in a 12 team tournament. ManagerSue Ronan used the tournament to have alook at players on the fringes of the squadand named six uncapped players, fourof whom, Sarah Rowe, Katie McCabe,Lauren Dwyer and Megan Connolly, werepart of the U19 team which reached thesemi-finals of the 2014/2015 EuropeanChampionships in Norway.Despite dominating the opening gameagainst Hungary, they fell behind to asecond-half penalty but secured a 1-1draw thanks to an equaliser from RueshaLittlejohn. In the second game againstSlovakia, two defensive lapses duringthe second half while playing againsta gale force wind saw the team lose2-0, and they lost by a similar score-linethree days later to the tournament’s topseeds Austria. However, they closed thetournament with a 2-1 victory over WorldCup finalists Costa Rica in the play-offmatch. Megan Campbell and StephanieRoche scored in the first half andsubstitute goalkeeper Niamh Reid Burkesaved a second-half penalty with her firsttouch.In April, the side met another WorldCup bound side when they travelled toSpain and were unlucky to lose 1-0 asLouise Quinn had a goal controversiallydisallowed eight minutes from time.In May, the Women’s National Teamtravelled to America for two gamesagainst USA and Haiti. Because thematches were outside the internationalcalendar, Sue Ronan was missing someof her more experienced players dueto club commitments but she usedthe opportunity to look at others withsix uncapped players in her squad,including three members of the WexfordYouths Women’s AFC side which wonthe 2014/15 Continental Tyres Women’sNational League, Jessica Glesson, CiaraRossiter and Nicola Sinnott.All three went on to win their first capsagainst the USA in San Jose where,despite a superb performance fromgoalkeeper Niamh Reid Burke, Ireland lost3-0 to eventual World Cup winners in frontof a capacity crowd of 18,000. The matchwas broadcast live in the United Statesand also in Ireland by Setanta Sports.Three days later, the team met Haitiin Lauderhill, Florida, where a first halfpenalty from Ruesha Littlejohn wasenough to give Ireland a deserved victoryover the Caribbean side and sent theminto the EURO 2017 qualifiers with a winunder their belt.The draw for the EURO 2017 qualifyingcampaign took place at UEFAheadquarters in Nyon on April 20, andIreland were drawn in Group 2 along withSpain, Finland, Portugal and Montenegro.With the finals tournament in theNetherlands now expanded to 16 teams,the eight group winners and the bestsix second placed teams, along with thehosts, will qualify automatically, with theother two second placed teams entering aplay-off for the remaining place.The Women’s National Team start theirEURO 2017 campaign in September athome to Finland.26FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Above: Fiona O’Sullivan celebrates afterscoring her side’s second goal with team-matesRuesha Littlejohn and Julie Ann Russell againstSlovenia.Left: Republic of Ireland captain Emma Byrneleads the team out at Tallaght Stadium.Opposite Page: Republic of Ireland manager SueRonan during squad training at Tallaght Stadiumahead of their FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifieragainst Slovenia.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 27

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedAbove: Callum O’Dowd, Republic of Ireland, inaction against Marc Rebés Ruiz, Andorra. At theRSC in Waterford.Left: Republic of Ireland captain Thomas Hobanleads his team out for the game against Andorraat the RSC in Waterford.Opposite Page: Ryan Manning, left, of Republicof Ireland U19 squad, is congratulated by teammatesafter scoring his side’s fourth goal againstAzerbaijan at Tallaght Stadium.28FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Noel King’s Republic of Ireland U21 team had a transitional yearas they introduced a large number of new players following theend of the 2015 UEFA U21 Championships qualifiers.Men’s U21Noel King’s Republic of Ireland U21 teamhad a transitional year as they introduced alarge number of new players following theend of the 2015 UEFA U21 Championshipsqualifiers.Their final qualifier for the 2015 finalsended with a 2-0 loss to Germany in Halleon September 5 when a very young Irishside conceded two goals in the first fiveminutes of the second half.King gave opportunities to a number ofyounger players including Ian Lawlor,Shane Griffin, Darragh Lenihan, JackByrne, Conor Wilkinson and TommyHoban who are all eligible for the 2017campaign. Jack Grealish also starred inthat encounter and he too remains eligiblefor the new campaign.In October the development processcontinued with a friendly away to Norwayin Drammen. Ireland lost 4-1 in thatencounter with Alan Browne scoring fromthe penalty spot while more new faceswere given a taste of this level, includingCeltic’s Eoghan O’Connell and thenShelbourne winger Dylan Connolly.The U21s then took part in a series offriendly matches in Marbella in November,losing 1-0 to the USA on November 15 anddrawing 2-2 with Russia in the same citytwo days later. Brighton’s Glen Rea andDylan Connolly scored Ireland’s goals.The opening game of the 2017 qualifierscame in March and King’s side startedwith a 1-0 victory over Andorra inWaterford’s RSC. Dylan Connolly, whojoined Ipswich in the January transferwindow, scored Ireland’s only goal in the31st minute.The Ireland U21s finished the 2014/15season with two training games againstEngland C and England’s U21s in June.The England C team is the non-leagueinternational team and is an open-ageside so were a couple of years older thanthe Irish players on average. The fixturein a rain-soaked Eamonn Deacy Park onJune 1 ended 2-1 to the English with SeanMaguire scoring Ireland’s goal.On June 5 King took his charges to StGeorge’s Park where they faced GarethSouthgate’s U21s side which was headingto the 2015 UEFA U21 ChampionshipsFinals so again, almost all of their playerswere two years older than our players.The English won that game 3-1 with SeanLong scoring in the second half. King’sside produced an impressive performanceafter a slow start against an Englishside that included star names includingSaido Berahino (who scored twice), JackButland, John Stones, Nathan Redmondand Danny Ings.The Irish will now turn their thoughts tothe forthcoming campaign when theymeet Andorra once more on September 8.Men’s U19Paul Doolin’s Republic of Ireland U19side had an impressive campaign thatunfortunately ended with them narrowlymissing out on qualification for the finals.They began their season with animpressive 1-0 victory over theNetherlands at Tallaght Stadium inSeptember with Leeds United strikerEoghan Stokes scoring from the penaltyspot.Doolin’s side continued their excellentstart to the season with a 1-0 win overSweden in Sollentuna on October 8thanks to a Fiacre Kelleher goal, thentwo days later the same sides met inStrangnas and drew 2-2. First half goalsfrom Eoghan Stokes and Ryan Manninggave Doolin’s side a 2-0 lead at the breakbefore Sweden got back into the gamewith two second half goals.Ireland then hosted the First QualifyingRound of the UEFA U19 Championshipsin the South East starting on November13 with a 1-0 win over Malta at WaterfordRSC thanks to another Eoghan Stokesgoal.Two days later they beat Gibraltar 4-1 inWexford’s Ferrycarrig Park. Reece Grego-Cox, Eoghan Stokes, an own goal forcedby good work from Noe Baba and Stokesonce more gave Ireland the win.Their final First Qualifying Round gamewas against Switzerland in Waterfordending 1-1. After going behind after twominutes Ireland levelled early in thesecond half through Reece Grego-Cox.In February, Ireland played Azerbaijanin two games at Tallaght Stadium. Thefirst game ended 6-0 as Eoghan Stokes,Dessie Hutchinson, Jamie McGrath (two),Ryan Manning (two) and Jack Hallahanall found the net. Two days later the sidesmet again and Ireland won 2-0 throughgoals by Ryan Manning and Jack Hallahan,to head into the Elite Qualifying Round fullof confidence.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 29

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedThe Republic of Ireland U17 team enjoyed a memorable campaignwhich saw Tom Mohan’s side reach the UEFA U17 Championshipsin Bulgaria, their first time to reach the finals tournament since2008.Unfortunately Ireland were drawn in a verydifficult qualifying group and started thatphase with a narrow 1-0 loss to the CzechRepublic in Mannheim on March 26. Twodays later they met group hosts Germanyin Sandhausen and produced a brilliantdisplay but ultimately lost 3-2. Germanywent ahead in the 52nd minute but goalsby Jack Hallahan and Joel Coustrain hadDoolin’s side 2-1 up with eight minutesleft. Unfortunately the Germans levelledin the 82nd minute and then snatched aninjury-time winner to seal the three points.Ireland’s U19 campaign ended with a2-2 draw against Slovakia on March 31.Doolin’s side came back from 2-0 downat the break to clinch a point thanks tosecond half goals from a Ryan Manningpenalty and Joel Coustrain. Ireland willnow turn their eyes towards the newcampaign in November when we onceagain host the First Qualifying Round withScotland, Slovenia and Latvia in the group.Men’s U18Ireland played six games at U18 level inthe 2014/15 season.Paul Doolin took a squad to Portugal inDecember for two testing encounters.Ireland lost 2-0 in Abrantes on December16, then the sides met again two dayslater with Portugal winning 1-0 in Bonitos.The annual home-based U18 gamesbetween Ireland and Wales took placein February with Paul Osam coachingthe Irish side due to a clash with theU19s playing Azerbaijan the same week.Osam’s side recorded a win and a drawfrom the two encounters. Gareth Dohertyscored from the penalty spot in a 1-0 winin Haverfordwest in the first match andthe following day the sides drew 1-1 inPort Talbot with Shane Hugraine equalisingfor the Irish.Jim Crawford was then in charge whenthe U18s finished up their campaignwith two friendlies in Luxembourg inJune. Ireland won 1-0 at Stade Terrain àHobscheid thanks to a Conor Ellis goal,then the sides drew 0-0 in Schifflange towrap up the season.Men’s U17The Republic of Ireland U17 team enjoyeda memorable campaign which sawTom Mohan’s side reach the UEFA U17Championships in Bulgaria, their first timeto reach the finals tournament since 2008.Mohan’s side began the campaign with apreparation tournament in Hungary, whichsaw the Irish play three fixtures. Theylost 1-0 to the hosts in the first match,then drew 1-1 with Malta two days laterwith Conor Levingston scoring the Irishgoal. Two days later they completed thetournament with a 0-0 draw with Serbia.Next up for the Irish U17s was the UEFAU17 Championships First QualifyingRound which took place at home. Irelandbeat Gibraltar 5-0 in their first fixture atEamonn Deacy Park with Trevor Clarkescoring twice. Conor Davis, ZacharyElbouzedi and Robbie McCourt also foundthe net.The Irish then beat a hard-working FaroeIslands team 4-2 at the same venue.Corey O’Keeffe, Josh Barrett, StevenKinsella and Trevor Clarke all finding thenet in the victory. Their final group gametook place in Longford and ended in ascoreless draw with Scotland as bothsides qualified for the Elite Phase.In preparation for the Elite Phase, Irelandplayed two friendly matches in Croatia inFebruary. The first encounter in Zagrebended in a 4-3 defeat with Ireland comingback from 4-0 down to almost levelmatters. Connor Ronan, Trevor Clarke andConor Levingston scored for the Irish. Twodays later the sides met again and Croatiawon 2-1 with Jamie Gray getting the Irishgoal from the penalty spot.Ireland then travelled to Poland for theUEFA Elite Qualifying Round, and theybegan the group with a tough 2-2 drawwith Greece in Wronki. Once more,Mohan’s team showed great resilience tobounce back from going 2-0 down earlyon. Trevor Clarke’s goal and a Josh Barrettpenalty earned them a draw.The Irish beat Belarus 3-1 in their nextfixture with Jamie Aherne scoring twoand Josh Barrett also scoring in Wronki.The final group game ended in a 1-0 winfor Poland but Ireland finished second inthe group and qualified for the finals inBulgaria in May.Mohan’s side were handed an extremelytough group in the finals and they beganwith a 0-0 draw with Netherlands inSozopol. Jamie Aherne had a late headertouched onto the underside of thecrossbar which could have turned thematch and sealed a memorable victory.Next up was Italy in Stara Zagora, anderrors in each half resulted in Italiangoals as the Irish went down 2-0. Thatset up a final clash with England at thesame venue and Ireland needed a 2-0win to qualify for the knock-out stage.Unfortunately it was not to be as Englandsealed a 1-0 win with a stunning winnernine minutes from time.Overall it was a progressive year for theIreland U17s. Most of these players willbe looking to move to break into theIreland U19 squad next season whileMohan and his staff will focus on the nextU17 campaign which sees them travel toFinland in September to face the hosts,Malta and Sweden.30FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Above: Thomas Byrne, Republic of Ireland. UEFAU16 Development Tournament, Republic ofIreland v Denmark. AUL Complex, Clonshaugh,Dublin.Left: Robert McCourt, Republic of Ireland,in action against Marcus Edwards, left, andNathan Holland, England. UEFA European U17Championship Finals Group D, Republic ofIreland v England, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.Opposite Page: George Kelly, Republic of IrelandU18 Schools, is fouled by James Yates, ScotlandU18 Schools, resulting in a penalty for his sidein the Centenary Shield.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 31

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedMen’s U16The Republic of Ireland U16 team enjoyedan impressive season which will standthem in good stead ahead of progressingto the competitive action at U17 level nextseason.Tom O’Connor’s side played in twodevelopment tournaments and finishedtop of their group in the home-basedevent in February which featured Austria,Czech Republic and Denmark.In their first encounter against theAustrians at Shanowen Road, ThomasByrne scored a second half equaliser tosend the game into a penalty shoot-outand the Irish came out on top with keeperMark Travers saving two spot-kicks.The second fixture at Malahide United’sGannon Park was also a draw as the Irishfinished 2-2 with the Czechs. Once againthe home side won on penalties withkeeper Paul Martin saving one and theIrish not missing a kick.Ireland ended up on top of the groupafter beating Denmark 1-0 in their finalencounter at the AUL Complex onFebruary 18. After scoring early, the Irishproduced a measured display to hold outfor an impressive win.Next up for O’Connor’s side was a friendlytournament in the Netherlands. The Irishbegan with another impressive 1-0 winover the USA in Gravenzande, ThomasByrne’s first half goal continuing theirunbeaten run.That came to an end against the Dutchon March 13 in a 4-0 loss but O’Connorconfirmed afterwards that the encounterhad been a valuable learning experiencefor his players. The proof of that statementcame in their final fixture of the campaignwhen Aaron Dobbs scored twice inanother 2-2 draw with the Czechs to endthe season with a solid display.Men’s U15The Republic of Ireland U15 side had aninteresting campaign with Colin O’Brien’sside experiencing a testing introductionto international football and showing thatthey are well capable of stepping up to therequired level.After two friendly matches against Polandin November 2014, the boys faced a veryimpressive Scotland side at Celtic Park inKillarney on January 23. The Scots werevery strong and played with a dynamictempo, running out 3-1 winners. GlenMcAuley scored Ireland’s goal from asecond half penalty.Ireland showed they were fast learners asthey held the Scots to a 1-1 draw at PatKennedy Park, Listowel, two days later.Once again Glen McAuley scored Ireland’sgoal.Next up came two home encounterswith the Netherlands. In the first gameon April 14 in Limerick’s Janesboro FC,the Irish produced a top notch display towin 1-0, with Aaron Connolly’s first halfgoal deciding the game. Two days laterthe U15s finished off their season witha 3-1 defeat to the Dutch at Pike Rovers’ground. Aaron McColgan scored Ireland’sgoal direct from a corner in the first half.As this is an introductory level,development is the priority, but O’Brienand his coaching staff were pleased tosee the players adapt to the demands ofinternational football and they will nowlook to progress to U16 level.Women’s U19Having become the first Irish team toqualify for the finals of the UEFA EuropeanWomen’s U19 Championships, DaveConnell’s side proceeded to toss theform book out the window by reachingthe semi-finals, and grabbing nationaland international headlines for theirachievements.Drawn in the same group as England,Sweden and Spain, all former winners ofthe U19 title, the Irish faced a dauntingtask in Norway. They opened thegroup stage against Spain and sent thefirst shockwaves rippling through thetournament when they won 1-0 thanks toa wonderful goal from Clare Shine whoonly three months previously had brokenher leg in a club game.Next up was England, who had beenrunners-up in 2013, but they too weredispatched in style after taking a firsthalf lead. Savannah McCarthy equalisedand then Keeva Keenan, who had beensuspended for the Spain game, came offthe bench to head home the winner fourminutes from time.That left Ireland facing Sweden knowinga draw would guarantee a semi-finalberth but after eight minutes theyfound themselves in arrears as theScandinavians took the lead. However,17-year-old McCarthy produced hersecond equaliser in two games headinghome a free-kick from Megan Connolly.Ten minutes from time Connolly, herselfa 17-year-old, scored when she curled a20 metre free-kick into the top corner toensure Ireland topped the group with a100 per cent record.32FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Left: Tara O’Gorman, Republic of Ireland, inaction against Kamilla Karlsen, Denmark.UEFA U16 Women’s Development Tournament,Republic of Ireland v Denmark. Gannon Park,Malahide, Co. Dublin.Opposite Page: Glen McAuley, Republicof Ireland, celebrates after scoring withteammates, from left, Sultan Owolabi, DominicPeppard and Alan McColgan at the U15International, Republic of Ireland v Scotland,Tanavalla, Listowel, Co. Kerry.That earned the team a semi-final placeagainst the Netherlands, a team theyhad met during the Elite Phase of thecompetition and held to a scorelessdraw. However, Bayern Munich’s VivianneMiedema was not part of the Dutch squadthat week and she proved to be differencebetween the sides as she scored a hattrickin a 4-0 win. The Netherlands went onto win the tournament, beating Spain 1-0,in the final.Connell and his squad were rightlyaccorded a hero’s welcome on their returnto Ireland after a tremendous performanceand, with 12 of the squad eligible for thefollowing season, hopes were high of areturn visit to the finals.Less than a month after returning fromNorway, the 2014/15 WU19 squadgathered for the start of their campaignwith two friendlies in August againstDenmark which they lost 4-0 and 2-0.In September they headed to Sweden fora qualifying group that included the hosts,Montenegro and Moldova. Two set-pieceheaders from substitute Rebekah Carrolland a Megan Connolly penalty gave thema 3-0 win over Montenegro and a goodstart to the qualifying campaign. In theirsecond game against Molodva, Connollyopened the scoring after eight minutesbut Ireland, despite creating 32 scoringchances to four, failed to add to that goaland paid the price three minutes fromtime when they conceded an equaliser,and ended up drawing 1-1.That left the side needing to beat Swedento win the group and secure automaticqualification for the Elite Phase. Theygot off to the best possible start whenConnolly scored for the third successivegame with a stunning free-kick. However,four minutes into injury time at the endof the first half, with Ireland down to tenplayers after defender Lauren Dwyer wentoff for treatment, the Swedes equalised,and in the second half they added fourmore without reply to run out 5-1 winners.Ireland finished in second spot but pickingup one point from their games against thesides which finished first and second inthe group meant they were the countrythat missed out on advancing as only 10of the 11 runners-up from the qualifyinground went through to the Elite Phase.Women’s U17Having qualified the Women’s U19s for theEuropean finals in 2014, Dave Connell andhis assistant Dave Bell, repeated the featwith the Women’s U17 team by guidingthem to June’s UEFA Women’s U17Championship Finals in Iceland. It wasthe first time Ireland had qualified for thefinals since 2010 when a team containingmany players who have since gone to becapped at senior international level loston penalties to Spain in the final and thenwent on to reach the quarter-finals of theWomen’s U17 World Cup in Trinidad andTobago that year.After two home friendlies againstDenmark in September, in which they wonthe first match 1-0 and lost the secondmatch 5-3, the journey to Iceland began inOctober 2014 for the WU17s when theytravelled to Serbia for a qualifying groupagainst the hosts, Romania and Lithuania.Qualification was secured early in Serbiaas the team won their opening twogames. Goals from Sarah McKevitt andskipper Jamie Finn delivered a 2-0 winover Lithuania while Niamh Farrelly andMcKevitt supplied the goals that earned a2-0 win over Romania to deliver a place inthe Elite Phase with a game to spare. A1-1 draw against Serbia in the final gamewas enough to win the qualifying groupwith Derbhaile Beirne scoring the Irishgoal.An intense period of preparation for theElite Phase included back to back gamesagainst finals hosts Iceland in Dublinand resulted in two excellent wins withEleanor Ryan-Doyle and Courtney Higginsscoring in a 2-1 victory in the first gamewhile substitute Derbhaile Beirne cameoff the bench to score the only goal in thesecond match.The Elite Phase took place in April withIreland hosting England, Netherlandsand Hungary in Cork and began witha tremendous 2-0 win over England atTurner’s Cross thanks to first half goalsfrom Eleanor Ryan Doyle and SaoirseNoonan.A scoreless draw with the Netherlandsleft Ireland needing a win against Hungaryto secure top spot and automaticqualification for the finals. However,despite creating 12 chances and hittingthe crossbar, the Irish couldn’t find theHungarian net and England, after winsover Hungary and Netherlands, won thegroup. There followed a few anxious daysof waiting for Dave Connell and his squadbefore UEFA officially confirmed Ireland asthe best runners-up in the Elite Phase andthe eighth qualifier for the finals in Iceland.Ireland were drawn along with France,Switzerland and Norway for the finaltournament in June and opened theircampaign against the French whoeventually broke down a resolute Irishdefence midway through the second halfto win 1-0. Against Switzerland, it endedwith the same score-line. Dave Connell’sside largely created the best goal-scoringchances and played some excellentattacking football, although a superbFOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 33

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedRight: Gerry Smith, Manager of the EasternRegion IRL UEFA Regions’ Cup team in training.Opposite Page: Republic of Ireland U18 Schoolsand Scotland U18 Schools teams make theirway onto the pitch. Centenary Shield, Republicof Ireland U18 Schools v Scotland at TallaghtStadium.long-range strike from Alisha Lehmannhanded the three points to Switzerland.Norway took the points with a 2-0 win inthe last game of the tournament, but theybowed out too, as France and Switzerlandprogressed from Group B into the semifinals.Brave, resilient, and positive, Irelandcan hold their heads up high after theirperformance in this tournament. Connelland his backroom staff did a terrific job,but luck didn’t fall their way on the pitch.Women’s U16Ireland’s U16 women’s team commencedtheir season with a 1-0 win over NorthernIreland at Dundalk’s Oriel Park on January13 with Niamh Sheehan’s first half goaldeciding the game.In February Ireland hosted a UEFAWomen’s U16 tournament and it was atough start for Sharon Boyle’s side as theylost 2-0 to Czech Republic in their openerat Malahide United’s Gannon Park.The second fixture saw Ireland meetAustria at Home Farm FC, and after atense 1-1 draw the Irish won on penalties.Isobel Finnegan scored Ireland’s equaliserfrom the penalty spot, then in the shootoutBoyle’s charges won 6-5.Ireland’s final fixture was against animpressive Denmark side at MalahideUnited and the visitors won that game 2-0.Overall the short campaign was a positiveone for the Irish, and this group of playerswill look to progress to U17 level nextseason.Amateur2015 will go down as a historical year forIreland’s amateur international footballersafter Gerry Smith led his men to successfor the first time in the UEFA Regions’Cup.After many years of trying, the Irishrepresentatives finally got their hands ontheir version of the Holy Grail when DavidLacey’s first half winner sealed the victoryfor Eastern Region IRL against the ZagrebRegion from Croatia in the final on July 4.Smith’s side became just the third Irishteam to ever capture a UEFA trophy- following on from the famous 1998UEFA U16 Championships and UEFA U18Championships successes.It was all the more special as the successcame at Tallaght Stadium in front ofthe largest ever attendance at a UEFARegions’ Cup game following a verysuccessful hosting of the tournament inIreland.On the pitch, Smith’s charges weresublime and recorded four impressivevictories at the same venue. They openedthe campaign with a 2-0 victory overTurkish side Ankara thanks to a GregMoorhouse header and a Darren Dunnepenalty.In their second Group A fixture, goals ineither half from Darren Dunne and PaulBreen were enough to give the Irish sidevictory over South Moravia from the CzechRepublic, and their final berth was securedwhen Ankara came from behind to beatBosnia’s Tuzla Canton.With a place in the final already assuredSmith freshened up his side for their lastgroup encounter against Tuzla Canton andthey ensured a 100 per cent record in thegroup with a 2-1 win. Jonathan Rock gavethe Irish side the lead after 29 minutesand although Meris Mesanovic equalisedsix minutes later, Eastern Region got thevictory their performance deserved whenDean Gibbons headed home a James Carrcorner in the 74th minute.That set up the memorable occasion ofthe final and there were scenes of greatjubilation at the final whistle when captainKen Hoey of Rockmount lifted the cup.It was just reward for a fantastic seasonand an enormous amount of preparationwhich was put in by Smith and his staff.The campaign began in August with a pairof friendly games against their NorthernIreland counterparts. Dean Carpenterscored in a 1-1 draw at the AUL Complexon August 20 then when the sides metagain seven days later Smith’s men won2-0 in Belfast with goals by Jonathan Rockand Greg Moorhouse.In September the Irish played two gamesagainst England’s UEFA Regions’ Cuprepresentatives in Dublin. In the firstencounter Smith’s side secured a 2-1win with goals from James Lee andGreg Moorhouse then when the sidesmet again the Irish lost 1-0 with CiaranMcNulty bagging the only goal.34FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

That set Eastern Region IRL up for theUEFA Regions’ Cup qualifiers which tookplace in Hungary in October and the Irishside got off to a flyer when they beat thehosts East Hungary 4-1 in their openingIntermediary Round Group 4 fixture inHodmezovasarhely. David Lacey, ThomasDunne and Jimmy Carr with two were theIrish scorers.Next up was a 6-1 victory over Lithuanianside FK Nevežis. James Lee opened thescoring, Danny Loughran made it 2-1when he converted the rebound after thekeeper saved his initial attempt from thepenalty spot then Lee added his secondgoal in the 80th minute before Laceymade it 4-1 in the 82nd minute. ArnoldasTrakselis had the misfortune of turning theball into his own net in the 86th minutebefore Greg Moorhouse wrapped up thescoring in the 88th minute.Smith’s side ensured qualification whenbeating Israeli side Karmiel Tzfat 1-0 in thefinal game thanks to Greg Moorhouse’s65th minute winner.Preparation for the finals included afriendly match against USA Universitieswhere Smith’s men won 6-1 and a gameagainst an U21 home-based side whichended in a 1-1 draw. Two more friendlygames followed against the Polish UEFARegions’ Cup representatives in March. Alate header from Thomas Dunne salvageda 1-1 draw at Eamonn Deacy Park inGalway then when the sides met againthe Poles won 1-0.That was to be a rare blip on an otherwiseremarkable season for Gerry Smith’scharges which ended in the best possiblemanner by lifting the UEFA Regions Cupon home soil in July.FAI SchoolsThe FAI Schools U18 team captured theCentenary Shield for the first time in fiveyears and managed to do it with a gameto spare. It was Ireland’s sixth victory in12 years having previously won it in 2003,2004, 2008 and 2010 as well as sharing itwith Northern Ireland in 2005.Under the stewardship of Ballymunteacher Paddy O’Reilly, the team enjoyeda 3-2 win away to Northern Ireland on StPatrick’s Day and followed that up ninedays later with a 2-1 win at FerrycarrigPark over Wales. A long range effort fromLucan CBS player Darragh Markey provedto be only goal in a 1-0 win over Englandon April 17 at the Sligo Showgrounds andthat was enough to deliver the title. Theycompleted their programme a week laterwith a 1-1 draw away to Scotland.The FAI Schools U15 Girls team’s bid towin the Bob Docherty Cup for the firsttime since 2010 ended in disappointmentas they lost out to hosts Scotland on thefinal day of the five-nation tournament.The Irish girls lost 3-2 on penalties toEngland in their opening game aftercoming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2. Butthey then beat Wales 2-1 and NorthernIreland 1-0 to set up a winner takes all finalgame against Scotland who had won theiropening three games. A narrow 1-0 winwas enough to give Scotland the title andconsign Ireland to a second successiverunners-up spot in the competition.The FAI Schools U18 teamcaptured the Centenary Shieldfor the first time in five yearsand managed to do it with agame to spare. It was Ireland’ssixth victory in 12 years havingpreviously won it in 2003,2004, 2008 and 2010 as wellas sharing it with NorthernIreland in 2005.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 35

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedLeft: Aaron Tier, of the Ireland CP squad, tacklesVitor Vilarinho, Portugal.Opposite Page: Adam Beary, North End Utd, inaction against Shane Guerin, Moyross Utd . FAIJunior Cup with Umbro and Aviva, Quarter-Final, Moyross Utd v North End Utd. Moyross,Limerick.Liffey Wanderers supporters look tense duringthe closing stages of the game. FAI Junior CupFinal, in association with Umbro and Aviva,Liffey Wanderers v Sheriff YC. Aviva Stadium,Lansdowne Road, Dublin.Third LevelThe Colleges Football Association ofIreland international squad played theDefence Forces at the AUL in Marchand were beaten 2-0. At the end ofMarch the CFAI international squad facedWales in Ferrycarrig Park and won 2-0.They followed this in April by travellingto Edinburgh where they lost 4-0 to avery strong Scottish side, and ended theseason in May by travelling to Lyon toface the French University World StudentGames side, where they were unlucky tolose 2-1 after a late French goal.At the World University games inGwangju, South Korea in July, our men’sand women’s teams played six gameseach at the bi-annual world universitygames.Danny Crowley’s men’s team reached thequarter final for the second tournamentin a row beating Russia and China in thegroup phase but lost 1-0 to an experiencedItaly side as fatigue and injuries hit theIrish side hard. At the time of print theyare due to play France in a play-off match.The women’s team struggled to capturethe form they showed in Kazan 2013but finished the tournament well andSue Ronan was happy with the players’development with so many playersoutside the senior squad. They drewagainst Chinese Taipei, but were beatenby the Czech Republic and South Korea.They then faced the USA in the 9th /16thplay-off and lost 1-0 but followed this withan 8-0 win over Columbia in the 13th/16thplay-off. At the time of print they are dueto play a 13th/14th place play off againstSouth Africa.Defence ForcesThe Irish Defence Forces men’s teamfinished third at the CISM EuropeanChampionships and narrowly missedout on qualifying for the CISM WorldChampionships. The European finals,which were held in France in November,also involved defending championsGermany and the Netherlands, and wereplayed as a round robin competition.Players and management were drawnfrom throughout the Defence Forces andall are also involved with clubs at senior,intermediate and junior level across thecountry.The squad, which was under themanagement of Comdt Declan Sheridan,opened their campaign against France butlost 1-0 to a goal in the final 20 minutesdespite dominating the game. Theybounced back in their next game with ahistoric 3-2 win over reigning Europeanchampions Germany with the goalscoming from Aidan Friel, Gary Stephensand Keith Arnold.That left Ireland needing to beat theNetherlands in their final game to claimone of the two European places at theCISM World Championships and also gavethem an outside shot at the Europeantitle. Unfortunately, it was not to be.Although the Dutch took the lead on 54minutes, Keith Arnold equalised fromthe penalty spot in the 82nd minute. TheIrish then laid siege to the Netherlandsgoal but were unable to force a winnerand were denied even the draw whentheir opponents broke clear in the eighthminute of added on time to win a penalty,which was converted with the last kick ofthe game.The 2-1 win secured runners-up spot forthe Dutch behind the eventual winnersFrance. Ireland finished third but theyoung team gained a lot of valuableexperience which will stand them in goodstead when the next European MilitaryChampionships take place.On July 9, the Irish Defence Forcefootball team produced an outstandingperformance at St George’s Park to defeatthe UK Combined Armed forces 4-1 in aprestigious friendly fixture. A hat trick byChris Kenny of Wexford Youths and a goalby Aidan Friel from Athlone Town pavedthe way to victory in a match that waswatched by England U21 manager GarethSouthgate.The Irish Defence Forces women’s teamdrew 2-2 with the Netherlands in aWomen’s International Military Friendlyat Station Road, Newbridge, in October.Having taken the lead through AmyPhelan, the Irish girls found themselvesbehind after the Dutch scored either sideof the half-time break. They went on todominate the second half but only forceda deserved equaliser in injury-time whena Dutch defender, under intense pressure,scored an own goal.Football For AllSeven of the FAI Football for All squadscompeted at the highest level in Europeanand World competition during the pastseason.The Irish Deaf men’s team competed inthe Deaf European football championshipsin Hannover, Germany in June 2015.The Irish finished second in their groupcontaining Ukraine, Hungary and Poland,having beaten the latter two countries.The squad lost to Turkey in the quarterfinals 5-2 but successfully secured sixthplace, after beating Sweden but losing toGermany.36 FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

The Irish CP squad secured their place inthe Paralympics in Rio 2016 at the CPIRSAworld cup in St George’s Park, also in June2015. The squad secured qualification,finishing second in their group withvictories over Australia and Portugal. Theywere defeated by Ukraine (No. 2 in World)in the quarter finals but went on to securea place in the 5/6th play-off by defeatingArgentina 1-0. They faced a very strongEngland in the play-off and went downnarrowly 2-0 after a spirited performance.The squad now begins preparation forthe 2016 Paralympics in Rio, Brazil inSeptember 2016.The FFA Schools U19 Squad travelled toWales to compete in this year’s LD HomeNations. Our FFA Schools internationalteam were very disappointed to lose toScotland 5-1 and 2-1 to Northern Ireland,the eventual winners. Their game againstthe tournament hosts was the highlightwhere they led 3–1 until late in the game,conceding two goals to draw, placingthem fourth in the tournament overall.Ireland’s homeless World Cup teamfinished sixteenth at the Homeless WorldCup in Santiago, Chile in October 2014.With notable wins over Sweden, Greece,Romania, Wales and Costa Rica, Irelandgave 100 percent in the trying conditionsbut in the end it was not to be.Our Amputee Football squad travelledto Mexico for their very first majorinternational event, the Amputee WorldCup in December 2014. The squadfinished 17th overall, which was a verycommendable achievement consideringthis was the squad’s first year as aninternational team. They had notablevictories over Kenya and a draw againstColumbia and also came away with theFair-play award.The Irish Senior Power-chair football squadcompeted in the European Power-chairNations Cup in UL, Limerick in July 2014,competing against Denmark and Francein the group stages, beating Denmark butlosing to France, the eventual Europeanchampions. The squad competed in the3rd/4th place playoff against Belgium butwith both teams on level terms after extratime, Ireland narrowly lost on penalties.The Special Olympics Ireland 7-a-sidesquad took part in the European SpecialOlympic Championships in Antwerp inBelgium in September 2014. The squadsuccessfully took home Gold in theirdivision defeating Belgium and Malta inthe process.Domestic footballLiffey Wanderers captured the FAI JuniorCup with Umbro and Aviva for the firsttime after a thrilling encounter with twotimes champions Sheriff YC at AvivaStadium in June.Wanderers, from neighbouring Ringsend,got off to a great start when they took thelead after five minutes. Anthony O’Connorfound the head of Lee Roche and thestriker turned the ball home.After a game that ebbed and flowed fromend to end, Liffey keeper Philip O’Connormade a string of saves before Sheriffsubstitute Kevin Lynch played an excellentcross to find John Lester who forced anequaliser and sent the game into extratime.Wanderers again showed their mettle andeight minutes into extra-time Aidan Rochefound Stephen O’Callaghan unmarked.He found the net from 25 yards out toprovide a first FAI Junior Cup victory forthe Southsiders.Crumlin United lifted the FAI UmbroIntermediate Cup for the third timewhen they beat Tolka Rovers 4-0 at AvivaStadium.Alan McGreal opened the scoring on thehalf hour. Ger Rowe made it 2-0, twominutes later, then despite a sustainedspell of Tolka pressure, it was 3-0 in the73rd minute when Greg Moorhouse foundthe net. The fourth goal came in the 89thminute through Patrick Cannon.The FAI Umbro U17 Cup Final went topenalties at Jackman Park, Limerick, asHome Farm lifted the cup following a 1-1draw with Herbertstown. Pat McDonaghput the Limerick outfit in front and theirhearts were broken in the 89th minutewhen Jack Traynor headed a late equaliserfor Home Farm. The Dublin side scored allfive of their spot-kicks to claim the trophy.In the FAI Umbro Youths Cup final,Bohemians ran out 4-0 winners overCork’s Kilreen Celtic at the home ofCrumlin United. Bohs went ahead throughCiaran Maguire in the 18th minute thenShane Carter made it 2-0 early in thesecond half. Carter made it 3-0 in the 71stminute and Stephen Mullins added thefourth 13 minutes from time.The DDSL beat NDSL 1-0 in the FAIUmbro Youth Inter-League Cup final atWhitehall thanks to a late winner fromStephen Hanley.In the FAI Continental Tyres Women’sSenior Cup Raheny United etched theirname into history by beating UCD Waves2-1 at Aviva Stadium in November.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 37

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedIt took a Siobhan Killeen strike in extratimeto decide the contest after UCD’sAine O’Gorman had hit back with anexcellent finish to cancel out KatieMcCabe’s stunning opener from aspectacular free-kick for the holders.Ballina Town won the FAI UmbroWomen’s Intermediate Cup with a 3-1win over Douglas Hall in Turners Cross inSeptember. This was Ballina’s first timewinning the Intermediate Cup as theydefeated the reigning champions. Goalsfrom Aime Roddy, Aoife Herbert and SarahRowe were enough for Ballina Town tocancel out Megan O’Keeffe’s goal for theHall and steer the Westerners to victory.Lagan Harps captured the FAI UmbroWomen’s Junior Cup in emphatic style atCooke Park, Tipperary, in September whenthey beat Tipperary Town Ladies FC 8-1in a remarkable game. The Tipp side gotoff to a great start when they took a 12thminute lead when Jade Looby opened thescoring but Donegal team Lagan bouncedback immediately, and just two minuteslater Amber Barrett levelled. Lagan thentook control with Lauren Harper, NikitaBurke (three), Emma McKinley, CarolineGallagher and Barrett again all adding to alopsided final score.Salthill Devon beat Peamount United 6-3in a thrilling FAI Umbro Women’s U16 Cupfinal at Tolka Park. The Galwegians tookthe lead three times only for Peamountto respond within minutes of each goal.However, the deadlock was broken in thesecond half with a long range goal fromSalthill’s Heather Payne, a wonderful soloeffort from Sadhbh Doyle, and a tenaciousLucia Lobato rebound in the dyingmoments to seal a well-deserved 6-3 winfor the Galway girls.Enniskerry FC secured the FAI UmbroWomen’s U14 Cup for the first time aftera dramatic late finish in the excellentsurroundings of Eamon Deacy Parkto earn them a 2-0 win over a gallantCregmore/Claregalway side in March.The goals came in the last minute ofnormal time when a free kick by JessMorrisey from the right hand side of thebox went all the way to the net. In injurytimeClaregalway pushed forward lookingfor an equaliser but were caught on thebreak and Roisin McGovern wrapped upthe victory.History was made in the University ofLimerick in June when Kerry overcameDDSL to win the prestigious Kennedy Cupfor the first time.The Munster side triumphed thanks to afirst-half strike from Dylan Murphy in frontof a large crowd in the UL Bowl, whichcapped off a fantastic week of underageaction.The Inishowen League won the 2014-15FAI Oscar Traynor Trophy in May with a 2-1win over the Limerick & District League atMcGinn Park, Buncrana, Co Donegal.Inishowen got off to the perfectstart when after 12 minutes StephenMcLaughlin opened the scoring. Thehome side doubled their lead in the 35thminute when Kieran McDaid found thenet.Limerick did get into the game in the 40thminute when Thomas Clarke poked homein a crowded penalty area but they couldnot find an equaliser.The Cork Women’s and Schoolgirl’s soccerleague won the Gaynor U16 JeremyDee Cup following a penalty shootoutagainst the Midlands Schoolgirl’s League.The Gaynor U14 Cup Final also went topenalties where MGL overcame last year’swinners, Galway.Website developmentIn January 2014, the Communicationsand Marketing departments took part ina UEFA funded series of workshops runby the Seven Leagues agency to createa digital strategy in the build up to theEuropean Qualifiers. A key element in thedelivery of an effective strategy was theredesign of the Association’s website withsupport from UEFA in a pilot project usingaccess to FAME’s API data feeds.The next step was a discovery phase tocreate a blueprint for the new website,with the objective to create an onlinecommunity to connect with fans bothdigitally and emotionally. Research for bestpractice was conducted with a focus ona fully responsive site where statistics,social media integrations and videocontent were key. Workshops were heldwith stakeholders and FAI departmentsto determine needs, and a decision wasmade to split the website into two logicalareas, international and domestic, afterthe analysis of traffic patterns providedconfirmation of the user experience.The site was redeveloped in-house,and was complete in time for Ireland’sfirst European Qualifier versus Georgiain September. Statistics coming fromUEFA’s FAME portal have been a valuableaddition to the site’s match centre. Traffichas improved significantly, and video hasproven to be the most popular aspect ofthe site, with 1.7m loads since its additionlast year. Mobile traffic now sits at 65%.The updated website is now central to theAssociation’s digital strategy, and key to itsroll out in 2015.38 FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Right: Work on pitches at the FAI NationalAcademy in Abbotstown nears completion.Opposite Page: The Home Farm team celebrateafter team-mate Jamie McDarby, not pictured,scored the winning penalty in the penalty shootout.FAI Umbro U17 Cup Final, Herbertstown vHome Farm. Jackman Park, Limerick.The Bohemians team celebrate following theirvictory. FAI Umbro Youth Cup Final, Bohemiansv Kilreen Celtic.Facility DevelopmentNational Sports CampusFollowing a competitive tender processand the appointment of renownedpitch contractors, Clive Richardson Ltd,the Association began work in March2014 on its National Academy with theconstruction of six pitches and ancillaryfacilities on a 30 acre section of landadjacent to the FAI Headquarters at theNational Sports Campus.The project is being financed via a mix offunding sources, with allocations from theDepartment of Sport through the NationalSports Campus Authority, FIFA through itsGoal Programme, usage agreements withthe Dublin and District Schoolboys Leagueand the Leinster Senior League, as well asdirect funding from the Association.Works have continued throughout the yearand the pitches, which were seeded inearly November, are progressing very welland will be ready for play in August.The full size FIFA 2 Star artificial turfpitch which includes a state of the artcarpet, was produced by Italian companyLimonta, and completed in April.Additional funding was sourced from FIFAthrough a further application to its GoalProgramme that has allowed for the startof Phase 2 of the development, whichincludes the development of a 1,600m2 Goalkeeper Training Area, additionalFloodlights, supported by Philips Lighting,and a generator for two further pitches,as well as pitch perimeter fencing andreinforced pathways adjacent to, andbetween the pitches.The National Sports Campus DevelopmentAuthority also commenced works onthe development of the National IndoorArena at the site. The Authority also has anoption within the contract to commenceworks on the development of a full sizeindoor football pitch and half sized coveredrugby pitch. It is hoped that funding willbe provided by Government for thisimportant facility, which is a crucial pieceof infrastructure for the development offootball in this country.Construction work also began onthe development of a Coaching andConference Centre adjacent to theFAI Headquarters. This facility will becompleted in August of this year, and willsupport the delivery of a wide range ofeducation programmes, with its 110 seatlecture theatre, 40 person classroom, fourchanging rooms and dining area.The FAI would particularly like to thankthe efforts of Minster Paschal Donohueand Minister Michael Ring as well asthe Chairman and CEO of the Authority,Mr Sean Benton and Mr Dave Conwayrespectively, for their assistance andsupport for this vital project.In terms of activity at the NationalAcademy, it is expected that the facilitywill be utilised by all of our internationalteams, including the Senior Internationalteam, as well as the hosting of avariety of educational and developmentprogrammes from August.Dalymount ParkDalymount Park has long beensynonymous with Irish football andholds a special place in the history of theAssociation. Therefore, it was welcomenews, following representations by theFAI and Bohemian FC to both Dublin CityCouncil and to Minister Paschal Donohue,that Dublin City Council purchasedDalymount Park from Bohemian FootballClub, and committed to redevelopingthe ground into a municipal stadiumthat will host Bohemian FC as well asother football activities. The purchase willenable Bohemian FC to settle its debt toZurich Bank. Works will now focus on thedevelopment of a rejuvenation plan thatwill benefit the club and the surroundingarea of Phibsborough.Centre of Excellence at GlanmireFollowing representations to Cork CountyCouncil, the FAI has secured agreementfor a 99 year lease for a 30 acre site inGlanmire, Cork which will be developed asa Centre of Excellence that will serve theMunster region.The facility will support the developmentof young players operating within the FAI’sregional squad structures and will supportthe growth and development of footballwithin the province. It will also be used asa training venue for Cork City FC as wellas a home match venue for its underageteams.The support of Minister Alan Kelly, SenatorJohn Gilroy, Cork County Council CEO,Tim Lucey, and Pat Lyons, Chairmanof FORAS were invaluable in securingthe agreement, and work will now turntowards developing the site over thecoming years.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 39

Chief Executive Officer’sOperational Review of 2014ContinuedLeft: SSE Airtricity League club Cork Cityprepare for action at Turners Cross.Opposite Page: Participants on the UEFACertificate in Management.In February, the IndependentClub Licensing Committeeawarded 15 Premier Divisionlicences, three First Divisionlicences and two conditionalFirst Division licences for the2015 SSE Airtricity Leagueseason.Sports Capital ProgrammeA welcome round of funding allocationsfrom the Department of Transport, Tourismand Sports Capital Programme wasannounced this year.There were 318 applications to theprogramme from clubs leagues, localauthorities and community organisationsfor football related projects and 110affiliates were awarded €4,957,177 infunding via local allocations. RegionalFootball Projects were allocated anadditional €1,625,000. When localauthority and local community allocationsfor football related projects were included,the funding allocated to football increasedto just under €8m which is 20 percentof the total and consistent with previousallocations to football via the programme.The FAI received the largest award offunding amongst all sports for an individualapplication with an allocation of €360,000.This funding was utilised for the purchaseof equipment for the Association’s variousprogrammes.In November, Minister Ring, through hisDepartment, provided a further allocationof €1.2m in funding to the FAI that wasthen re-allocated by the Board to sixstrategically important football projectsacross Ireland.A workshop for all successful applicantsto the programme was held at the AvivaStadium earlier this year, which providedguidance and advice on the developmentof facilities and securing value for money.The workshop was attended by over 80affiliated members and was well received.A further round of the Sports CapitalProgramme with a closing date of April 24was announced in early 2015. Accordingto the Department 180 affiliates appliedfor funding, totalling €13.5m in this roundof the scheme.In the lead up to the closing date, theFacility Development Department wasin contact on numerous occasions withall affiliates with advice and assistanceon the steps required to make anapplication. We thank the Department andMinister Michael Ring for his continuedcommitment to the development offootball.Club LicensingIn February, the Independent ClubLicensing Committee awarded 15 PremierDivision licences, three First Divisionlicences and two conditional First Divisionlicences for the 2015 SSE Airtricity Leagueseason. Cobh Ramblers FC and WexfordYouths FC were awarded a conditionalFirst Division Licence pending thesatisfactory receipt of further information.Both clubs supplied the requiredinformation, and were awarded theirlicence a week later.The annual audit of the FAI Club LicensingDepartment by SGS Europe was carriedout and the FAI was found to be in fullcompliance with UEFA’s standard.League Pitches and AirtricityLeague Pitch of the Year 2014The FAI’s Club Licensing and FacilityDepartment have been working with SSEAirtricity League clubs for a number ofyears to support the development andmaintenance of pitches for the league andsignificant improvements have been madeover this time.The organisation of training workshopsfor ground staff, support for fundingapplications, and the arrangement ofvisits to clubs by agronomists and theorganisation of the SSE Airtricty LeaguePitch of the Year competition have allplayed their part in improving the standardof pitches.40FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Turner’s Cross, home ground of Cork CityFootball Club, won the 2014 SSE AirtricityLeague Pitch of the Year Award, followingan inspection by the Irish Institute ofSports Surfaces (IISS). This is the secondtime that the ground has received thisaccolade, having been a winner previouslyin 2011.The winner of the award was announcedfollowing nominations by SSE AirtricityLeague referees and players, inassociation with the ProfessionalFootballers Association of Ireland.The award, which is organised by the FAIand IISS, and sponsored by GreendayEnvironmental Services, was presentedprior to the FAI Cup Final at Aviva Stadiumon November 2.Club Licensing and Financial FairPlay WorkshopIn September, a UEFA Club Licensingand Financial Fair Play workshop washeld in Carton House in Maynooth. Thisannual event brought together all 54 UEFAmember associations and representativesfrom other confederations.The workshop was opened with awelcome speech by FAI Chief ExecutiveJohn Delaney. Also addressing theconference was the chairman of the UEFAClub Licensing Committee, David Gill, whostressed the important role that nationalassociations have played in embracingclub licensing and financial fair play.In addition to reviewing the major eventsof the 2013/14 season, the workshopprovided the perfect platform to discusshow club licensing and financial fair playcan continue to evolve, and how Europeanclub football can gain further impetuson the back of the successful resultsachieved since the introduction of the clublicensing system in 2003.The workshop at Carton House wasvery successful, with many delegatesremarking on the excellent hospitality andfacilities provided. Some good informationand exchanges took place and a previewof the likely changes to regulations nextyear was also provided.Human ResourcesUEFA Certificate in FootballManagementThe FAI made a successful bid withthe Irish FA to be the first nationalassociations to jointly host the UEFACertificate in Football Management inIreland. The FAI hosted the first face toface seminar in Dublin on April 15 and 16.The UEFA CFM is a nine-monthprogramme, featuring footballorganisation, strategy and strategicmanagement, operational management,marketing and sponsorship,communications, media and publicrelations, and event organisation. 38students will complete the course, sixteenfrom the FAI, sixteen from the IFA, twofrom Wales, two from Scotland and twofrom Gibraltar.Participants acquire skills related tomanagement techniques and bestpractices in a variety of areas, whichenable them to move into senior executivepositions in the future, while also makingimmediate use of what they have learnedthrough their CFM studies. Two otherseminars will follow in Belfast in August,and in Dundalk in December.Employee Training75 employees attended 64 trainingcourses or seminars in 2014 througha combination of those provided bythe Irish Sports Council and thoseprovided by the HR and Coach EducationDepartments. We arranged seven FurtherEducation Support Scheme applicationswhich were granted as part of theIrish Sport’s Council’s OrganisationalCapability Strategy 2014-2018. Over40 people were trained in projectmanagement to enhance the deliveryof all our programmes and events. Thedevelopment of our employees is key toour continued growth and success and wewill continue to support their developmentthrough education, seminars and traininginterventions.Key appointments in the last 12monthsEamon Breen joined the FAI as FinanceDirector in August 2014. We welcomedKarl Heffernan as the new Commercialand Marketing Director in January. Karlhas many years of experience in seniorpositions at AIB and joined us after MaxHamilton, Commercial and MarketingDirector, finished in December to returnto the UK with his wife and young family.We said farewell to Brian McCarthy, ourPerformance Analyst with the SeniorTeam, who left to explore an opportunityabroad. Ger Dunne has since beenappointed to the role.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 41

Financial Review2014 OverviewIn 2014 we generated an operating surplus of€6.85m, with a retained surplus of €0.36m. Thisstrong operating performance is in line with ourlong term business plan.Income and ExpenditureTurnover for the year was €38.04m (2013:€36.59m) reflecting an increase (3.98%)in 2014, largely attributable to centralisedUEFA TV rights income and increasedsponsorship income, and was achievedagainst a very challenging backdrop withonly one competitive home match (vsGibraltar) and four friendly internationalmatches (vs Serbia, Turkey, Oman andUSA) during the financial year.The Irish Sports Council continued toprovide strong support to the Associationby allocating €2.7m in grants (2013:€2.8m) to the FAI’s football programmes.The Association continued to developstrong sponsorship income, amounting to€8m in 2014. These partnerships includestrong companies like Three, Toplion(Umbro), Diageo, Aviva, Lucozade, Ford,SSE Airtricity, Continental, Irish Daily Mail,Heatons SportsWorld, Bank of Ireland,Spar, Celtic Pure and McDonalds.The Association continued to work atreducing costs and implemented anumber of cost saving measures in 2014.Cost control will continue to be a keypriority for the Association together witha strong focus on revenue generation toensure the Association is positioned tomeet its financial commitments and investin the future of the game.2014 was our fourth full year in the newAviva stadium where the amortisationcosts for 2014 were €1.4m (2013: €1.8m).In addition to amortisation, bank and othercharges relating principally to borrowingsto support the construction of the stadiumamounted to €5.4m (2013: €5.0m).Development and operating grants paidduring 2014 were €1.1m continuing ourcommitment to providing funding at alllevels of the game.The underlying retained surpluswas €0.36m after taking all income,expenditure, investment income,exceptional items, interest costs,amortisation and grants into account.Balance SheetAs at the 31st December 2014, theAssociation had net assets of €14.4m,an increase of €0.2m from 2013. TheAssociation has assets of just under€100m and borrowings of €51.2m.Once these borrowings are repaid, theAssociation will realise the full benefit ofowning its own stadium, which will allowfor significant funding to be invested in tothe game in Ireland.Funding and Future ChallengesThe Association faces many challengesin common with all businesses in Ireland.However, the Association has significantcommitted revenue streams includingthe 2014-2018, and 2018-2022 UEFA TVcontracts, UEFA Hattrick Programmefunding, and long term commercialcontracts. These revenues, allied topotential income from the resale ofStadium naming rights and premiumseats, as well as our strong day to dayrevenues, provides a strong foundation forthe Association.We continue to challenge our costs toensure we meet our financial obligationswhile focussing on growing revenue andgenerating funds to strengthen our gamefor future generations.42 FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Directors and Other InformationBOARD OF MANAGEMENTT. Fitzgerald - PresidentD. Conway - Vice PresidentM. Cody - Honorary SecretaryJ. Delaney - Chief Executive OfficerE. Murray - Honorary TreasurerE. Naughton - Chairman – League of IrelandP. Treanor - Chairman – Legal and Corporate Affairs CommitteeM. Corcoran - Chairman – International CommitteeJ. McConnell - Chairman – Domestic CommitteeT. Fitzgerald - Chairman – Underage Committee (Deceased 1 Feb 2015)NATIONAL COUNCIL MEMBERSW. Attley P. Harrington J. O’BrienI. Barclay P. Hynes M. O’BrienS. Barrett K. Judge P. O’BrienN. Carpenter D. Kelly N. O’DonoghueP. Cassin J. Kelly T. O’DowdJ. Clery M. Kiernan D. O’DriscollM. Cody S. Lambert D. O’ConnorD. Conway M. Lynch M. O’ReganM. Corcoran T. Manning J. O’ReganJ. Croughan T. Martin J. RodgersD. Cruise C. G. McAnaney R. ScottA. Delaney T. McAuley R. ShakespeareD. Donleavy T. McCabe F. SmithJ. Earley J. McConnell P. TreanorM. Farrell D. McDonnell G. TulleyT. Fitzgerald J. McLaughlin M. WallaceM. Gorman J. Morley S. WeaferJ. Hackett J. Murphy P. WhittyM. Hanley E. MurrayA. Harkin E. NaughtonAUDITORSDeloitte & ToucheChartered Accountants and Statutory Audit FirmDeloitte & Touche HouseEarlsfort TerraceDublin 2BANKERSBank of IrelandCollege GreenDublin 2FUNDING PARTNERCorporate Capital Trust, Inc.450 S. Orange AvenueOrlando, FL 32801SOLICITORSA. & L. GoodbodyIFSCNorth Wall QuayDublin 1REGISTERED OFFICENational Sports CampusAbbotstownDublin 15FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 43

DIRECTORS’ REPORTThe directors present herewith their report and the audited financial statements of the Association for the year ended 31 December2014.PRINCIPAL ACTIVITYThe principal activity of the Association is the management and direction of Association Football throughout the Republic of Ireland.RESULTS FOR THE YEAR AND STATE OF AFFAIRS AT THE YEAR END AND REVIEW OF THE BUSINESSThe results for the year and state of affairs at the year end are set out in the Income and Expenditure Account and the Balance Sheetrespectively.The following is a summary of the results for the current year:2014€Surplus on ordinary activities before grants 1,450,728Development and operating grants to affiliates (1,090,781)Retained surplus for year 359,947In 2014, an operating surplus of €360k was generated by the Association.Income and ExpenditureOverall our turnover was €38m (2013: €36.6m). The revenue in 2014 included a significant increase in TV rights income from UEFA andthis more than compensated for the lower gate receipts and grants.The Irish Sports Council continued to provide strong support to the Association and the running of the technical department byallocating €2.7m in grants (2013: €2.8m) to the FAI’s football programmes.Despite a very difficult economic environment the Association continued to have strong sponsorship income which was €8m in 2014(2013: €7.1m). These partnerships include strong blue chip companies like 3Mobile, Toplion (Umbro), Diageo, Lucozade, Ford, Airtricity,Heatons Sport World, McDonalds, Continental Tyres & Aviva.The Association continued to work at reducing costs and implemented a number of cost saving measures in 2014. Cost control willcontinue to be a key priority for the Association together with a strong focus on revenue generation to ensure the Association ispositioned to meet its financial commitments and invest in the future of the game.The Association continues to invest in the underage international squads with over €2m spent supporting our underage and Women’sinternational teams. The return on this investment can be seen by the success across the levels.2014 was our fourth full year in the new Aviva stadium where the amortisation costs for 2014 were €1.4m (2013: €1.8m). In addition toamortisation, bank and other charges relating principally to borrowings to support the construction of the stadium amounted to €5.4m(2013: €5m).Our development and operating grants were €1.1m (2013: €1.1m) which shows our commitment to providing funding at all levels ofthe game.The underlying retained surplus was €360k after taking all income, expenditure, investment income, interest costs, amortisation,grants and exceptional items into account.Balance SheetAs at the 31st December 2014 we had net assets of €14.3m, an increase of €0.2m from 2013. The Association has assets of justunder €100m and bank borrowings of €44.5m.44FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Funding and Future ChallengesThe Association recognises that we are operating in very difficult economic times and faces many challenges in common with allbusinesses in Ireland. However, the Association has significant committed revenue streams including the new UEFA TV contract whichcame in to effect in 2014, UEFA Hattrick Programme funding, and long term commercial contracts.These revenues, allied to potential income from the resale of Stadium naming rights and premium seats, our strong day to dayrevenues and a good draw for the 2016 European Championships provides a strong foundation for the Association. The restructuringof the 2016 and 2020 European Championship to include 24 teams also enhances the Association’s potential to qualify for more majortournaments.We continue to challenge our costs to ensure we meet our financial obligations and in tandem we focus on growing revenue andgenerating funds to continue to strengthen our game for future generations.PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES FACING THE ASSOCIATIONThe Association is dependent upon the income generated by the success of the Senior International team by way of ticket revenue,sponsorship and television revenue to continue to invest in all aspects of football throughout the country. Any variances in the revenuebeing generated from such activities may affect the level of such investment.In contributing towards the development of Aviva Stadium, the Association has received funding through debt financing. TheAssociation has a business plan in place which identifies it will generate sufficient cashflow to facilitate repayment of this financing inline with agreed repayment terms.DIRECTORSThe present membership of the Board of Management is set out on page 2.On 26 July 2014 P. McCaul resigned from the Board of Management and T. Fitzgerald was appointed.It is with deep regret that we note passing of T. Fitzgerald (Chairman of the Underage Committee) on 1 February 2015BOOKS OF ACCOUNTTo ensure that proper books and accounting records are kept in accordance with Section 202 of the Companies Act, 1990, thedirectors have employed appropriately qualified accounting personnel and have maintained appropriate computerised accountingsystems. The books of account are located at the Association’s office at the National Sports Campus, Abbotstown, Dublin 15.AUDITORSThe auditor, Deloitte & Touche, Chartered Accountants, continues in office in accordance with Section 160(2) of the Companies Act,1963.Signed on behalf of the Board of Management:Tony FitzgeraldPresidentEddie MurrayHonorary TreasurerDate: 25/05/15FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 45

STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIESIrish company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of thestate of affairs of the company and of the surplus or deficit of the company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, thedirectors are required to:• select suitable accounting policies for the company financial statements and then apply them consistently;• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue inbusiness.The directors are responsible for keeping proper books of account which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financialposition of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements are prepared in accordance with accountingstandards generally accepted in Ireland and comply with Irish statute comprising the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2013. They are alsoresponsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection offraud and other irregularities.46FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS’ REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OFTHE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)We have audited the financial statements of The Football Association of Ireland for the year ended 31 December 2014 which comprisethe Statement of Accounting Policies, the Income and Expenditure Account, the Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses,the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and the related notes 1 to 22. The financial reporting framework that has been applied intheir preparation is Irish law and accounting standards issued by the Financial Reporting Council and promulgated by the Institute ofChartered Accountants in Ireland (Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in Ireland).This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Section 193 of the Companies Act, 1990. Ouraudit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are required to state to themin an auditors’ report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility toanyone other than the company and the company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we haveformed.Respective responsibilities of directors and auditorsAs explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financialstatements giving a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordancewith Irish law and International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with the AuditingPractices Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors.Scope of the audit of the financial statementsAn audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonableassurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes anassessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the company’s circumstances and have been consistently appliedand adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the directors; and the overall presentationof the financial statements. In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial information in the Reports and Financial Statementsfor the year ended 31 December 2014 to identify material inconsistencies with the audited financial statements and to identify anyinformation that is apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, the knowledge acquired by us in thecourse of performing the audit. If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or inconsistencies we consider theimplications for our report.Opinion on financial statementsIn our opinion the financial statements:• give a true and fair view, in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in Ireland, of the state of the affairs of thecompany as at 31 December 2014 and of the surplus for the year then ended; and• have been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2013.Matters on which we are required to report by the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2013• We have obtained all the information and explanations which we consider necessary for the purposes of our audit.• In our opinion proper books of account have been kept by the company.• The financial statements are in agreement with the books of account.• In our opinion the information given in the directors’ report is consistent with the financial statements.Matters on which we are required to report by exceptionWe have nothing to report in respect of the provisions in the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2013 which require us to report to you if, in ouropinion, the disclosures of directors’ remuneration and transactions specified by law are not made.For and on behalf of Deloitte and ToucheChartered Accountants and Statutory Audit FirmDublinDate: 25/05/15FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 47

STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTING POLICIESThe significant accounting policies adopted by the Association are:BASIS OF PREPARATIONThe financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting standards generally accepted in Ireland and Irish statutecomprising the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2013. Accounting standards generally accepted in preparing financial statements giving a trueand fair view are those published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and issued by the Financial Reporting Council.ACCOUNTING CONVENTIONThe financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the revaluation of the football groundsowned by the Association.TAXATIONThe Association has been granted sporting body status, and accordingly no charge to Corporation tax arises by virtue of Section 235 ofthe Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997.TURNOVERTurnover comprises the value of sales of goods and services in the normal course of business including gate receipts, sponsorshipmonies, subventions, marketing, commercial and miscellaneous income.Turnover from marketing contracts is recognised rateably over the period of the contract or where a fair value can be attributed to anelement of a contract when that element has been delivered.TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETSNo depreciation is provided on the grounds in Drogheda and Cobh. Depreciation on all other fixed assets is provided using the straightlinebasis at rates ranging from 10% to 33% which are designed to write them off over their estimated useful lives.In the opinion of the directors, any charge to depreciation on the grounds and related accumulated depreciation would not be materialas the value of the assets relate primarily to land.INTANGIBLE FIXED ASSETSIntangible fixed assets comprise of contributions to New Stadium Limited in respect of the construction of Aviva Stadium andsoftware licences.Contributions to New Stadium Limited, relating to the construction of Aviva Stadium, are capitalised at cost and are amortised to theIncome and Expenditure Account on a straight line basis over the estimated useful life of Aviva Stadium. Amortisation commencedupon the Association’s use of Aviva Stadium. Professional, finance, legal and other costs directly attributable to the contributionstowards Aviva Stadium are capitalised as part of the cost of this asset up to the date of completion. The capitalisation rate was theweighted average cost of finance obtained for the purpose of financing the contributions made.The stadium asset is amortised on a straight line basis over a 50 year period. Software Licences are capitalised at their fair value andamortised to the Income and Expenditure Account on a straight line basis over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or licenceduration.PENSIONSCharges in respect of pension arrangements under a defined contribution pension scheme are charged to the Income and ExpenditureAccount in the year to which they relate.GRANTSGrants relating to fixed assets are treated as a deferred credit, which is credited to the Income and Expenditure Account over theestimated useful lives of the related assets on a straight line basis.Grants relating to non-capital expenditure are credited to the Income and Expenditure Account in the same period as the relatedexpenditure is incurred.48FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

FINANCIAL ASSETSFinancial assets consist of investments in joint venture undertakings together with other financial asset investments held at cost.Investments are carried at cost less provisions for any permanent diminution in carrying value below cost.FINANCE COSTSInterest and similar costs are expensed to the Income and Expenditure Account over the period to which the loan financing relates.Where the financing related directly to the addition of a fixed asset, such costs were attributed to the related asset.Finance costs associated with the raising of finance are netted against the related loan and amortised over the period of the loan.Where future contracted revenue cashflows are securitised, the resulting difference between the upfront proceeds and the grossvalue of the contract is recognised over the period of the related contract as a finance cost.FOREIGN CURRENCYTransactions denominated in foreign currencies are recorded at actual exchange rates as at the date of the transaction. The monetaryassets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the year-end are reported at the rates of exchange prevailing at the year-end.All exchange differences are dealt with in the Income and Expenditure Account.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 49

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 20142014 2013Notes € €TURNOVER 2 38,041,498 36,585,797Cost of sales (21,922,033) (23,759,421)OPERATING INCOME 16,119,465 12,826,376Administration expenses (9,265,436) (8,322,304)OPERATING SURPLUS 6,854,029 4,504,072Investment income 4 80 1,473Exceptional Item 5 - 10,590,382Interest payable and similar charges 6 (5,403,381) (4,997,878)SURPLUS ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES BEFORE GRANTS 7 1,450,728 10,098,049Development and operating grants to affiliates (1,090,781) (1,124,232)SURPLUS RETAINED FOR THE YEAR 14 359,947 8,973,817The financial statements were approved by the board of management on 25/05/15 and signed on its behalf by:Tony FitzgeraldPresidentEddie MurrayHonorary Treasurer50FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

STATEMENT OF TOTAL RECOGNISED GAINS AND LOSSESFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 20142014 2013Notes € €Surplus for the year 359,947 8,973,817Revaluation deficit on football grounds 13 (200,000) -Total recognised gains for year 15 159,947 8,973,817FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 51

BALANCE SHEETAS AT 31 DECEMBER 20142014 2013Notes € €FIXED ASSETSTangible assets 8 2,948,362 2,445,774Intangible assets 9 62,354,171 88,404,548Financial assets 10 25,196,505 501,27290,499,038 91,351,594CURRENT ASSETSDebtors and prepayments 11 7,657,022 5,481,372CURRENT LIABILITIES7,657,022 5,481,372CREDITORS: (Amounts falling due within one year) 12 (28,359,235) (24,047,628)NET CURRENT LIABILITIES (20,702,213) (18,566,256)TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 69,796,825 72,785,338CREDITORS: (Amounts falling due after more than one year) 12 (55,441,832) (58,590,292)NET ASSETS 14,354,993 14,195,046Represented by:Capital reserve 29,775 29,775Revaluation reserve 13 868,887 1,068,887Revenue reserves 14 13,456,331 13,096,384TOTAL RESERVES 15 14,354,993 14,195,046The financial statements were approved by the board of management on 25/05/15 and signed on its behalf by:Tony FitzgeraldPresidentEddie MurrayHonorary Treasurer52FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

CASH FLOW STATEMENTFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 20142014 2013Notes € €NET CASH INFLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 16 5,167,927 7,553,561RETURNS ON INVESTMENTS:Investment Income 80 1,473Interest payable & Similar charges (3,569,638) (4,170,605)NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM RETURN ON INVESTMENTS (3,569,558) (4,169,132)CAPITAL EXPENDITURE AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENT:Payments to acquire intangible fixed assets (79,276) (508,927)Payments to acquire tangible fixed assets (843,934) (92,197)Grant paid (1,211,700) (1,325,775)NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM CAPITAL EXPENDITUREAND FINANCIAL INVESTMENT (2,134,910) (1,926,899)NET CASH (OUTFLOW)/INFLOW BEFORE FINANCING (536,541) 1,457,530FINANCING:Leases (360,689) -Loan repaid (1,000,000) (4,000,000)NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM FINANCING (1,360,689) (4,000,000)DECREASE IN CASH 17 (1,897,230) (2,542,470)FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 53

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 20141. BASIS OF PREPARATIONThe financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting standards generally accepted in Ireland and Irish statutecomprising the Companies Acts, 1963 to 2013.The Association had a surplus retained for the year of €359,947 (2013: €8,973,817) and as at the balance sheet date had net assets of€14,354,993 (2013: €14,195,046) with net current liabilities of €20,702,213 (2013: €18,566,256). The net current liabilities excludingdeferred income at the balance sheet date was €6,235,102 (2013: €6,915,704).In order to fund the continuing operations of the Association, the Association continues to utilise existing sources of finance availableto it. The Association will continue to efficiently manage its working capital on a day to day basis to ensure availability of cash. Basedon approved management forecasts of trading performance, and finance facilities being made available to the Association, theDirectors have forecasted that the Association will operate within current overdraft facilities for at least twelve months from the dateof approval of the financial statements.On the basis of management’s forecast of the Association’s operating performance and financing requirements, the Directors believethey have adequate resources to fund their operations for the foreseeable future. The Directors are therefore of the opinion that it isappropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.2. TURNOVERTurnover is comprised of international match income, commercial income, grants and subvention income, income from technicaldepartment courses and other income. In addition to this revenue, the FAI also received benefits from sponsors in the form ofdiscounts and usage of sponsors’ equipment. The value of this sponsorship is not reflected in the turnover figure.During the year the FAI received grant funding from the Department of Environment of €18,652 (2013: €42,390), Young PeoplesFacilities and Services Fund 2 (YPFSF 2) - Football in the Community Officers funding €336,145 (2013: €349,242), Departmentof Justice €Nil (2013: €283,939), €20,674.29 (2013: €10,418.80) from Cavan County Council Peace III programme, €2,707,910(2013: €2,842,932) from the Irish Sports Council, €42,844 (2013: €42,000) from Department of Foreign Affairs and €39,400 fromDepartment of Children & Youth Affairs - National Lottery 2014. These grants have been expended for the purpose for which they wereintended.3. STAFF COSTS2014 2013€ €Wages and Salaries 8,748,614 7,738,249Social welfare costs 732,780 687,587Redundancy costs - 1,125,7639,481,394 9,551,5992014 2013Average number of persons employed Number NumberManagement 15 15Administration and operations 144 137159 1524. INVESTMENT INCOME2014 2013€ €Bank interest receivable 80 1,47354FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

5. EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS2014 2013€ €Gain on restructuring debt - 11,708,564Payroll restructuring cost - (1,118,182)Net gain on exceptional items - 10,590,382During the prior year, the Association successfully negotiated a restructure of its debt which resulted in a net gain on restructuring of€11.8m.Included in exceptional items is a one off expenses of €1,118,181 relating to payroll restructuring costs.6. INTEREST PAYABLE AND SIMILAR CHARGES2014 2013€ €Interest payable on overdraft and loans payable within 5 years 4,685,200 4,170,605Unwinding of discount (Note 12) 718,181 827,2735,403,381 4,997,8787. SURPLUS ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES BEFORE GRANTS2014 2013€ €Surplus on ordinary activities before grants is arrived atafter charging/(crediting):Directors’ Remuneration:- Directors emoluments 360,000 360,000Officers’ emoluments 70,338 54,900Tangible fixed asset depreciation 213,376 179,775Intangible fixed assets amortisation 1,434,418 1,812,228Operating lease charge - land & building 200,000 250,000Gain arising on debt restructuring - (11,708,561)Auditors’ Remuneration (including VAT) is as follows:- Audit of company’s accounts 57,195 59,040- Other assurance services 1,845 1,887- Tax advisory services 5,252 6,703- Other non-audit services 17,343 8,40381,635 76,033FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 55

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 Continued8. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETSOfficeMachinery, AUL-FAI NationalFootball Furniture and Motor Sports SportsGrounds Equipment Vehicles Grounds Campus Total€ € € € € €Cost or Valuation:As 1 January 2014 1,600,000 3,367,912 7,409 279,342 23,164 5,277,827Additions - 156,500 - - 759,464 915,964Revaluation deficit (200,000) - - - - (200,000)At 31 December 2014 1,400,000 3,524,412 7,409 279,342 782,628 5,993,791Accumulated Depreciation:As 1 January 2014 - 2,551,229 1,482 279,342 - 2,832,053Charge for year - 211,576 1,800 - - 213,376At 31 December 2014 - 2,762,805 3,282 279,342 - 3,045,429Net Book Value:At 31 December 2014 1,400,000 761,607 4,127 - 782,628 2,948,362At 31 December 2013 1,600,000 816,683 5,927 - 23,164 2,445,774Grounds represent the Associations interest in United Park in Drogheda and St. Colman’s Park in Cobh.The grounds at United Park, Drogheda, Co. Louth were revalued by Thomas Byrne, Auctioneer & Valuer, Co. Louth to €900,000 asat 30 September 2014. The grounds at St. Colman’s Park, Cobh were revalued by O’Sullivan Estates Ltd, Co. Cork to €500,000. Anet revaluation deficit of €200,000 was recognised in respect of these valuations (note 13). The historical cost of football groundsamounted to €531,113.Included in Furniture and Equipment are assets held under finance leases with a net book value of €233,319 (2013: €162,721). Thedepreciation charge on these assets amounted to €47,405 (2013: €Nil).56FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

9. INTANGIBLE FIXED ASSETSStadium SoftwareContributions Licences Total€ € €Cost or Valuation:As 1 January 2014 94,071,424 951,923 95,023,347Additions - 79,274 79,274Reclass to financial assets (Note 10) (24,695,233) - (24,695,233)At 31 December 2014 69,376,191 1,031,197 70,407,388Accumulated Depreciation:As 1 January 2014 6,053,799 565,000 6,618,799Amortisation in year 1,405,280 29,138 1,434,418At 31 December 2014 7,459,079 594,138 8,053,217Net Book Value:At 31 December 2014 61,917,112 437,059 62,354,171At 31 December 2013 88,017,625 386,923 88,404,548The stadium contributions relate to costs capitalised in relation to the Association’s contributions towards the construction of AvivaStadium by New Stadium Limited. During the year loans of €24,695,233 were converted to share capital in the New Stadium Limited(Note 19).Software licences relate to costs capitalised in relation to database management systems software licences.10. FINANCIAL ASSETS2014 2013€ €Investments:Prize bonds 1,270 1,270Unquoted investments 1 1Investments in joint ventures (Note 19) 25,195,234 500,00125,196,505 501,272During the year loans amounting to €24,695,233 were converted to non voting share capital in New Stadium Limited.FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 57

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 Continued11. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS2014 2013€ €Trade debtors 3,419,029 1,907,900Short term loans to clubs and leagues 605,348 664,030Prepayments & Other Debtors 2,126,764 2,334,442Accrued Income 1,505,881 575,0007,657,022 5,481,372Short term loans to clubs and leagues includes bridging finance advanced to clubs and leagues to cover capital expenditure in advanceof them receiving other financial aid and normal loans to clubs and leagues, the terms of which are specific to each individual loan.Included in debtors and prepayments is €373,000 (2013: €428,412) of debtors which is due after one year.12. CREDITORS2014 2013€ €Amounts due within one year:Bank and other loans (Note 18) 2,000,000 1,000,000Bank overdraft 2,595,526 698,296Deferred Income 14,467,113 11,650,552Trade creditors and accruals 8,457,566 9,861,986Other creditors grants 244,561 226,837PAYE/PRSI 540,312 585,154Finance lease obligation 54,157 24,80328,359,235 24,047,628Amounts due after more than one year:Bank and other loans (Note 18) 46,750,574 47,499,726Deferred Income 8,120,374 9,598,680Trade creditors and accruals 390,288 1,353,968Finance lease obligations 180,596 137,91855,441,832 58,590,292Included in deferred income is €5,865,270 (2013: €6,580,303) of net revenue arising under a securitised sponsorship agreementwhere the net revenue was received upon commencement of the contract. Gross revenue from this contract is recognised rateablyover the contract period with an implied interest chargeable to the income and expenditure account was €718,182 (2013: €827,273)Included in Creditors are finance leases of €234,753 (2013: €162,721) which are broken down as follows:2014 2013€ €Amount due within one year 54,157 24,803Amount due between two and five years 180,596 113,115Amount due over five years - 24,803234,753 162,72158FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

13. REVALUATION RESERVE2014 2013€ €At beginning of year 1,068,887 1,068,887Revaluation deficit (Note 8) (200,000) -868,887 1,068,887In 2008 United Park, Drogheda Co. Louth was revalued resulting in a surplus of €1,445,284. As a result of a valuation performed in2010, an impairment in the carrying value of the asset of €376,397 was recorded. This reduced the overall surplus to €1,068,887. Asa result of valuations performed in 2014 on United Park in Drogheda and St. Coleman’s Park in Cork a net revaluation deficit in thecarrying value of the assets of €200,000 was recorded. This reduced the overall surplus to €868,887.14. REVENUE RESERVES2014 2013€ €Revenue reserves at beginning of year 13,096,384 4,122,567Surplus for year 359,947 8,973,81713,456,331 13,096,38415. RECONCILIATION OF MOVEMENTS IN RESERVESCapital Revenue RevaluationReserves Reserves Reserves Total€ € € €Opening balance 29,775 13,096,384 1,068,887 14,195,046Total recognised gains for year - 359,947 (200,000) 159,947Closing Balance 29,775 13,456,331 868,887 14,354,99316. RECONCILIATION OF OPERATING SURPLUS TO NET CASH INFLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES2014 2013€ €Operating Surplus 6,854,030 4,504,072Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 213,376 179,775Amortisation of intangible fixed assets 1,434,418 1,812,228(Increase) in debtors & prepayments (2,054,837) (683,226)(Decrease) / Increase in Creditors & accruals (1,279,060) 3,650,330Refinance & Exceptional Costs - (1,909,618)Net cash inflow from operating activities 5,167,927 7,553,561FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 59

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 Continued17. ANALYSIS OF NET DEBT/FUNDS1 January 31 December2014 Movement 2014€ € €Bank overdraft (698,296) (1,897,230) (2,595,526)(698,296) (1,897,230) (2,595,526)Debt due within one year (Note 12) (1,000,000) (1,000,000) (2,000,000)Debt due after one year (Note 18) (49,170,381) 2,555,381 (46,615,000)(50,868,677) (341,849) (51,210,526)18. BANK AND OTHER LOANS2014 2013€ €Bank and other loans are due as follows:Amount due within one year 2,000,000 1,000,000Amount due between one and two years 4,000,000 2,000,000Amount due between two and five years 18,000,000 20,115,000Amounts due after five years 25,478,692 26,500,000Capitalised borrowing costs (728,118) (1,115,274)48,750,574 48,499,72619. INVESTMENT IN JOINT VENTURESNew Stadium Limited(i) The Association holds 2 shares of €1 in New Stadium Limited (2013: 1 share), representing a 50% interest in its issued sharecapital. During 2014, the Association converted €24,695,233 of stadium contributions to an ordinary share in New Stadium Limited.New Stadium Limited was formed as a joint venture with the Irish Rugby Football Union to develop Aviva Stadium and has itsregistered address at Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2.The disclosure requirements in relation to New Stadium Limited as required by Financial Reporting Standard 9 - “Associates and JointVentures”, based on unaudited financial statements, are as outlined below and are for the year ended 31 December 2014. The followingdetails the Associations 50% share of each balance:2014 2013€ €Turnover 5,827,500 5,798,500Operating loss (855,000) (788,500)Interest Charge (481,500) (537,000)Loss after tax (1,331,500) (1,325,500)Fixed assets 180,363,500 185,530,000Current assets 1,223,500 1,657,000Liabilities due within one year (4,141,500) (2,942,000)Liabilities due after one year (90,553,000) (124,697,500)Net asset 86,892,500 59,547,50060FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

19. INVESTMENT IN JOINT VENTURES (CONTINUED)AUL-FAI Limited(ii) The Association hold 100,000 ordinary shares in AUL-FAI Limited, a company incorporated to manage and develop the AUL complexin Clonshaugh, Co Dublin. AUL-FAI Limited was formed as a joint venture with the Athletic Union Football League and has its registeredaddress at Clonshaugh, Co Dublin.The disclosure requirements in relation to AUL-FAI Limited as required by Financial Reporting Standard 9 - “Associates and JointVentures” are as outlined below and are based on unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2013. The followingdetails the Associations 50% share of each balance:2014 2013€ €Turnover 168,913 186,935Operating (loss)/profit (19,140) 76,486Interest charge - -(Loss)/profit after tax (19,140) 11,963Fixed assets 1,057,118 1,070,954Current assets 9,425 14,472Liabilities due within one year (92,430) (82,592)Liabilities due after one year - -Net asset 974,113 1,002,833During the year, the Association paid rental fees for the use of the facilities at the AUL Complex of €162,000 (2013: €162,000). As atyear end, an amount of €18,398 (2013: €66,188) is payable by the Association to AUL-FAI Limited which is included in trade creditorsand accruals.20. AFFILIATED BODIESThe activities of the Affiliated Bodies listed below are not incorporated in these financial statements;Colleges Football Association of IrelandDefence Forces Athletic AssociationF.A.I. Junior CouncilF.A.I. SchoolsIrish Soccer Referees’ SocietyIrish Universities Football UnionSchoolboys Football Association of IrelandWomen’s Football Association of IrelandFootball for AllFOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 61

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTSFOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 Continued21. THE IRISH SPORTS COUNCILGrant received of €2,707,910 (2013: €2,842,932) from the Irish Sports Council during the year have been expended for the purpose forwhich they were intended by the Irish Sports Council.The Irish Sports Council grant of €2,707,910 is allocated across the following programmes:€Grassroots 760,000FAI Education 305,000Player Development 400,410Central & Regional Development Staff 1,100,000Women in Sport 142,50022. GUARANTEES AND COMMITMENTSThe Association has entered into bank guarantees. The maximum amounts guaranteed where €268,159 as at 31 December 2014(2013: €290,000).Under a shareholders’ agreement dated 5 April 2006 between the Association, the Irish Rugby Football Union and New Stadium Ltdthe Association has committed to provide funding based on the budgeted cost of the New Aviva Stadium. Total funding paid in 2014amounted to €306,760 (2013: €369,312).The Association has provided security and guarantees on loan balances encompassing charges over certain bank accounts,receivables, including future contracted receivables and first floating charge over the Association’s property, assets and undertakings.The Association has an annual operating lease commitment in relation to land and building of €200,000 per annum (2013: €250,000).62FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

International ResultsGrade Date Opposition Stat Venue ResultSeniorsSeniors 03.09.2014 Oman FR Aviva Stadium 2 - 0 WSeniors 07.09.2014 Georgia EQ Georgia 1 - 2 WSeniors 10.10.2014 Gibraltar EQ Aviva Stadium 7 - 0 WSeniors 14.10.2014 Germany EQ Germany 1 - 1 DSeniors 14.11.2014 Scotland EQ Scotland 1 - 0 LSeniors 18.11.2014 USA FR Aviva Stadium 4 - 1 WSeniors 29.03.2015 Poland EQ Aviva Stadium 1 - 1 DSeniors 04.06.2015 Northern Ireland Training Game Aviva Stadium 0 - 0 DSeniors 07.06.2015 England FR Aviva Stadium 0 - 0 DSeniors 13.06.2015 Scotland EQ Aviva Stadium 1 - 1 DUnder 21Under 21 05.09.2014 Germany EQ Germany 2 - 0 LUnder 21 09.10.2014 Norway FR Norway 4 - 1 LUnder 21 15.11.2014 USA FR Marbella 1 - 0 LUnder 21 17.11.2014 Russia FR Marbella 2 - 2 DUnder 21 26.03.2015 Andorra EQ Home 1 - 0 WUnder 21 01.06.2015 England C FR Home 1 - 2 LUnder 21 05.06.2015 England FR England 3 - 1 LUnder 19Under 19 08.09.2014 Holland FR Home 1 - 0 WUnder 19 08.10.2014 Sweden FR Sweden 0 - 1 WUnder 19 10.10.2014 Sweden FR Sweden 2 - 2 DUnder 19 13.11.2014 Malta EQ1 Home 1 - 0 WUnder 19 15.11.2014 Gibraltar EQ1 Home 4 - 1 WUnder 19 18.11.2014 Switzerland EQ1 Home 1 - 1 DUnder 19 25.02.2015 Azerbaijan FR Home 6 - 0 WUnder 19 27.02.2015 Azerbaijan FR Home 2 - 0 WUnder 19 26.03.2015 Czech Republic EQ2 Germany 0 - 1 LUnder 19 28.03.2015 Germany EQ2 Germany 3 - 2 LUnder 19 31.03.2015 Slovakia EQ2 Germany 2 - 2 DUnder 18Under 18 16.12.2014 Portugal FR Portugal 2 - 0 LUnder 18 18.12.2014 Portugal FR Portugal 1 - 0 LUnder 18 02.06.2015 Luxembourg FR Luxembourg 0 - 1 WUnder 18 04.06.2015 Luxembourg FR Luxembourg 0 - 0 DFOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 63

International ResultsContinuedGrade Date Opposition Stat Venue ResultUnder 18 Home-BasedUnder 18 23.02.2015 Wales FR Wales 0 - 1 WUnder 18 24.02.2015 Wales FR Wales 1 - 1 DUnder 17Under 17 05.08.2014 Hungary OT Hungary 1 - 0 LUnder 17 07.08.2014 Malta OT Hungary 1 - 1 DUnder 17 09.08.2014 Serbia OT Hungary 0 - 0 DUnder 17 22.09.2014 Gibraltar EQ1 Home 5 - 0 WUnder 17 24.09.2014 Faroe Islands EQ1 Home 2 - 4 WUnder 17 27.09.2014 Scotland EQ1 Home 0 - 0 DUnder 17 24.02.2015 Croatia FR Croatia 4 - 3 LUnder 17 26.02.2015 Croatia FR Croatia 2 - 1 LUnder 17 21.03.2015 Greece EQ2 Poland 2 - 2 DUnder 17 23.03.2015 Belarus EQ2 Poland 1 - 3 WUnder 17 26.03.2015 Poland EQ2 Poland 0 - 1 LUnder 17 07.05.2015 Holland UEC Bulgaria 0 - 0 DUnder 17 10.05.2015 Italy UEC Bulgaria 0 - 2 LUnder 17 13.05.2015 England UEC Bulgaria 1 - 0 LUnder 16Under 16 15.02.2015 Austria OT Home 1 - 1 DUnder 16 16.02.2015 Czech Republic OT Home 2 - 2 DUnder 16 18.02.2015 Denmark OT Home 1 - 0 WUnder 16 11.03.2015 USA OT Holland 1 - 0 WUnder 16 13.03.2015 Holland OT Holland 4 - 0 LUnder 16 15.03.2015 Czech Republic OT Holland 2 - 2 DUnder 15Under 15 11.11.2014 Poland FR Poland 1 - 2 LUnder 15 13.11.2014 Poland FR Poland 1 - 2 LUnder 15 23.01.2015 Scotland FR Scotland 1 - 3 LUnder 15 25.01.2015 Scotland FR Scotland 1 - 1 DUnder 15 14.04.2015 Holland FR Holland 1 - 0 WUnder 15 16.04.2015 Holland FR Holland 1 - 3 L64FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Grade Date Opposition Stat Venue ResultWomen’s SeniorsWomen’s Seniors 20.08.2014 Slovenia WCQ Tallaght 2 - 0 WStadiumWomen’s Seniors 13.09.2014 Slovakia WCQ Slovakia 0 - 1 WWomen’s Seniors 17.09.2014 Germany WCQ Germany 2 - 0 LWomen’s Seniors 15.01.2015 Norway Training Game La Manga, 1 - 3 LSpainWomen’s Seniors 04.03.2015 Hungary OT Croatia 1 - 1 DWomen’s Seniors 06.03.2015 Slovakia OT Croatia 2 - 0 LWomen’s Seniors 09.03.2015 Austria OT Croatia 0 - 2 LWomen’s Seniors 11.03.2015 Costa Rica OT Croatia 2 - 1 WWomen’s Seniors 08.04.2015 Spain FR Spain 1 - 0 LWomen’s Seniors 10.05.2015 USA FR USA 3 - 0 LWomen’s Seniors 13.05.2015 Haiti FR USA 0 - 1 WWomen’s Under 19Women’s Under 19 19.08.2014 Denmark FR Denmark 4 - 0 LWomen’s Under 19 21.08.2014 Denmark FR Denmark 2 - 0 LWomen’s Under 19 13.09.2014 Montenegro EQ1 Sweden 3 - 0 WWomen’s Under 19 15.09.2014 Moldova EQ1 Sweden 1 - 1 DWomen’s Under 19 18.09.2014 Sweden EQ1 Sweden 1 - 5 LWomen’s Under 17Women’s Under 17 23.09.2014 Denmark FR Home 1 - 0 WWomen’s Under 17 25.09.2014 Denmark FR Home 3 - 5 LWomen’s Under 17 17.10.2014 Lithuania EQ1 Serbia 2 - 0 WWomen’s Under 17 19.10.2014 Romania EQ1 Serbia 2 - 0 WWomen’s Under 17 22.10.2014 Serbia EQ1 Serbia 1 - 1 DWomen’s Under 17 26.01.2015 Australia Schools (Girls) FR Home 1 - 1 DWomen’s Under 17 21.03.2015 Iceland FR Home 2 - 1 WWomen’s Under 17 23.03.2015 Iceland FR Home 1 - 0 WWomen’s Under 17 09.04.2015 England EQ2 Home 0 - 2 WWomen’s Under 17 11.04.2015 Holland EQ2 Home 0 - 0 DWomen’s Under 17 14.04.2015 Hungary EQ2 Home 0 - 0 DWomen’s Under 17 22.06.2015 France UEC Away 0 - 1 LWomen’s Under 17 25.06.2015 Switzerland UEC Away 0 - 1 LWomen’s Under 17 28.06.2015 Norway UEC Away 0 - 2 LWomen’s Under 16Women’s Under 16 13.01.2015 Northern Ireland FR Home 1 - 0 WWomen’s Under 16 20.02.2015 Czech Republic OT Home 0 - 2 LWomen’s Under 16 21.02.2015 Austria OT Home 1 - 1 DWomen’s Under 16 23.02.2015 Denmark OT Home 0 - 2 LFOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 65

International ResultsContinuedGrade Date Opposition Stat Venue ResultAmateursAmateurs 20.08.2014 Northern Ireland FR Home 1 - 1 DAmateurs 27.08.2014 Northern Ireland FR Away 2 - 0 WAmateurs 11.09.2014 England FR Home 2 - 1 WAmateurs 13.09.2014 England FR Home 0 - 1 LAmateurs 20.10.2014 Hungary URC Away 4 - 1 WAmateurs 22.10.2014 Lithuania URC Away 6 - 1 WAmateurs 24.10.2014 Israel URC Away 0 - 1 WAmateurs 24.01.2015 USA Universities FR Home 6 - 1 WAmateurs 21.02.2015 Under 21 HB FR Home 1 - 1 DAmateurs 24.03.2015 Poland FR Home 1 - 1 DAmateurs 26.03.2015 Poland FR Home 0 - 1 LAmateurs 26.06.2015 Turkey URC Final Round Home 2 - 0 WAmateurs 28.06.2015 Czech Republic URC Final Round Home 2 - 0 WAmateurs 01.07.2015 Bosnia & Herzegovina URC Final Round Home 1 - 2 WAmateurs 04.07.2015 Croatia URC Final Home 1 - 0 WDefence ForcesDefence Forces Women’s 16.10.2014 Dutch Armed Forces FR Home 2 - 2 DDefence Forces Men’s 24.11.2014 French Armed Forces CISM EQ Away 1 - 0 LDefence Forces Men’s 26.11.2014 German Armed Forces CISM EQ Away 3 - 2 WDefence Forces Men’s 28.11.2014 Dutch Armed Forces CISM EQ Away 2 - 1 LDefence Forces Men’s 09.07.2015 British Armed Forces FR Away 1-4 WSchoolsFAI Schools (Boys) 26.01.2015 Australia FR Home 1 - 1 DFAI Schools (Boys) 17.03.2015 Northern Ireland CS Away 2 - 3 WFAI Schools (Girls) 21.03.2015 England FR Home 0 - 1 LFAI Schools (Boys) 26.03.2015 Wales CS Home 2 - 1 WFAI Schools (Girls) 06.04.2015 England BD Away 2 - 2 DFAI Schools (Girls) 07.04.2015 Wales BD Away 2 - 1 WFAI Schools (Girls) 07.04.2015 Northern Ireland BD Away 1 - 0 WFAI Schools (Girls) 09.04.2015 Scotland BD Away 0 - 1 LFAI Schools (Boys) 17.04.2015 England CS Home 1 - 0 WFAI Schools (Boys) 23.04.2015 Scotland CS Away 1 - 1 D66FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

Grade Date Opposition Stat Venue ResultFootball for AllSpecial Olympics Ireland 16.09.2014 Belgium EC Away 5 - 0 WSpecial Olympics Ireland 17.09.2014 Israel EC Away 2 - 2 DSpecial Olympics Ireland 18.09.2014 Malta EC Away 3 - 0 WSpecial Olympics Ireland 19.09.2014 Malta Gold Medal Game Away 4 - 0 WHomeless Squad 19.10.2014 Greece WC Away 1 - 11 WHomeless Squad 20.10.2014 Mexico WC Away 7 - 2 LHomeless Squad 21.10.2014 Wales WC Away 6 - 2 WHomeless Squad 21.10.2014 Sweden WC Away 11 - 3 WHomeless Squad 22.10.2014 Romania WC Away 7 - 6 WAmputee 30.11.2014 Brazil WC Away 2 - 0 LAmputee 01.12.2014 Uzbekistan WC Away 1 - 6 LAmputee 02.12.2014 Ukraine WC Away 2 - 0 LAmputee 04.12.2014 Kenya WC Away 4 - 2 WAmputee 05.12.2014 Columbia WC Away 1 - 1 DAmputee 06.12.2014 Ukraine WC Away 0 - 3 LAmputee 28.03.2015 Italy FR Away 2 - 1 LFFA Schools U19 07.04.2015 Northern Ireland HN Away 2 - 1 LFFA Schools U19 08.04.2015 Wales HN Away 3 - 3 DFFA Schools U19 09.04.2015 Scotland HN Away 5 - 1 LCP Squad 24.04.2015 Netherlands FR Home 2 - 0 WCP Squad 26.04.2015 Netherlands FR Home 1 - 2 LCP Development Squad 23.05.2015 Germany FR Away 3 - 1 WCP Development Squad 24.05.2015 Finland FR Away 1 - 0 WCP Development Squad 25.05.2015 Denmark FR Away 3 - 0 LAmputee 05.06.2015 Poland FR Away 1 - 0 LAmputee 06.06.2015 Ukraine FR Away 2 - 0 WAmputee 06.06.2015 Netherlands FR Away 4 - 0 WAmputee 12.06.2015 England FR Away 5 - 0 LCP Squad 16.06.2015 Russia CP WC Away 8 - 1 LDeaf Men’s Squad 16.06.2015 Poland Deaf EC Away 6 - 0 WCP Squad 18.06.2015 Australia CP WC Away 4 - 1 WDeaf Men’s Squad 18.06.2015 Ukraine Deaf EC Away 2 - 0 LCP Squad 20.06.2015 Portugal CP WC Away 8 - 0 WDeaf Men’s Squad 20.06.2015 Hungary Deaf EC Away 4 - 0 WDeaf Men’s Squad 22.06.2015 Turkey Deaf EC Away 2 - 5LCP Squad 24.06.2015 Ukraine CP WC Away 0 - 4 LCP Squad 26.06.2015 Argentina CP WC Away 1 - 0 WDeaf Men’s Squad 26.06.2015 Germany Deaf EC Away 4 - 1 LCP Squad 27.06.2015 England CP WC Away 2 - 0 LLegenDFREQEQ 1/2WCQCSBDCP WCFriendlyEuropean QualifierEuro qualifier 1st leg / 2nd legWorld Cup QualifierCentenary ShieldBob DochertyCP World CupWCUECURCCISM EQHNOTHomeless World CupUEFA Championship Final RoundUEFA Regions’ CupInternational Military Sports Council QualifiersHome Nations TournamentOther TournamentFOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014 67

Notes68FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELAND ANNUAL REVIEW AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

TMCommercial PartnersThreePrimary Sponsor of the FAI andOfficial Sponsor of National TeamsUmbroOfficial Kit Sponsor of the FAI andOfficial Sportswear of the Irish TeamCarlsberg SSE Airtricity Aviva FordOfficial Beer Sponsor of the FAIOfficial Energy Partner of the FAI. Titlesponsor of the SSE Airtricity League,U19 League and U17 LeagueOfficial Insurance Sponsor of the FAIand Official Sponsor of the Aviva Clubof the Year AwardsOfficial Vehicle Sponsor of the FAIMcDonalds Lucozade Sport DHL Heatons Sportsworld Bank of IrelandTitle Sponsor of theMcDonalds Future FootballProgrammeOfficial Sports Drink Sponsorof the FAI and the SSEAirtricity LeagueOfficial Worldwide Couriersto the FAIOfficial Sports ProductRetail Partner of the FAI. TitleSponsor of the SportsWorldFAI Summer Soccer SchoolsTitle Sponsor of the FAIBank of Ireland Post-PrimarySchools Cup CompetitionsSPAR EA Sports Continental NIVEA for Men Celtic PureOfficial Convenience RetailPartner of the FootballAssociation of Ireland.Title Sponsor of the SPARFAI Primary School 5sProgrammeOfficial gaming partner ofthe FAI and Title Sponsorof the EA Sports CupOfficial Tyre Partner of theFootball Association ofIreland. Title Sponsor of theContinental Tyres Women’sNational LeagueOfficial Skincare Supplier tothe FAIOfficial Water Partner of theFootball Association of Ireland

Corporate ColoursPantone 3435CPantone 369CPantone 138CPantone 367C(Reversed Out Version only)FAI CORPORATE IDENTITY (COLOUR)FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF IRELANDCUMANN PEILE NA hÉIREANNNational Sports Campus, Abbotstown, Dublin 15T: 01 899 9500 F: 01 899 9501 E: info@fai.ie www.fai.ieTo be used:• on all corporate material• on all Technical Development Plan material• on all FAI event material• on all sponsorship material• on all programmes• on all promotional material• on all FAI merchandise• on all digital material