FAI

Football Association of Ireland

The Football Association of Ireland was founded in 1921 and affiliated to the world governing body FIFA in 1923. It was a founder member of UEFA in 1954. We are responsible for the governance of football in the Republic of Ireland with a mandate to promote, develop and foster the game. Our headquarters are at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin. Every strand of the game is represented on the National Council and the Association is governed by a Board of Directors which is made of the Officers, the chairman of the six Standing Committees and the Chief Executive Officer.

Latest FAI News

Big savings on eFlow FAI Summer Soccer Schools

Created on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 16:02

Ireland's safest pair of hands, David Forde and the Irish women's no. 10, Denise O'Sullivan were in Aviva Stadium today (Wednesday) to launch the eFlow FAI 2013 Summer Soccer Schools programme. This year's camps are priced at €65 (€55 for second children), more than a third off last year's prices. They come with the same high standards of coaching and care delivered by Garda vetted FAI Qualified coaches as well as full kit, a ball and school bag all exclusive to the eFlow FAI Summer Soccer Schools! Also for the first time, early on-line bookers will receive up to €45 worth of parent and child tickets for the senior international matches in Aviva Stadium against Georgia, the Faroe Islands or Kazakhstan, making the real cost of the camps as low as just €20 per child. The camps will be held in 290 venues nationwide, focus on participation rather than competition and are open to boys and girls of all abilities from the ages of 6 to 14. Beginning on July 1, and running right through to August 23, each week-long (Monday-Friday 10.30am to 3pm) school is run by FAI development officers and delivered by Garda vetted FAI Qualified coaches in a safe and professional environment. Along with Mainstream Camps, specialised Goalkeeper Camps catering for the specific needs of the goalkeeper have also been discounted this year to €50. Speaking at the launch, Republic of Ireland Goalkeeper David Forde said, "With these discounts, more parents will be able to send their kids to our summer soccer schools. I went to summer camps like these when I was young and giving children access to good quality coaching in a safe environment is just what is needed to develop Irish football." John Delaney FAI Chief Executive said, "Our Summer Soccer Schools are a great way of getting children out of the house and into the fresh air to enjoy themselves. I would like to thank eFlow for their sponsorship of this wonderful programme. 96% of parents rated the enjoyment level for their kids as 'good' to 'excellent' last year and we hope that with this year's added discounts, more parents will be encouraged to send their children this summer." Simon McBeth, Director of Communications and Customer Relations at eFlow welcomed today's launch. "eFlow are delighted to be involved with an initiative which encourages team work, provides skills development training and promotes healthy living among boys and girls around the country. At eFlow, we seek to support programmes that encourage active citizenship and community development at grass root's level in Ireland and the FAI Summer Soccer Schools are a perfect example of that." With some camps already booked to 50%, parents are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. Match tickets are on a limited first-come-first-served basis. Further information can be found at: www.summersoccerschools.ie or by calling 1890 653 653

Gathering of Supporters' Clubs a success

Created on Thursday, 28 March 2013 15:25

First worldwide gathering of Republic of Ireland Supporters' clubs concludes successfully The Football Association of Ireland held its first ever worldwide conference of Republic of Ireland supporters' clubs to coincide with the World Cup qualification match against Austria. As part of the FAI's involvement in The Gathering 2013, representatives from 21 supporters clubs came together at an event in the Ballsbridge Inn. This event saw representatives of the official ROI Supporters Clubs (RISSC) join with newly formed supporters clubs to discuss matters of mutual interest which the FAI hopes will help those clubs grow in years to come. FAI Regional Manager Gerry Reardon was delighted with the response. "We've had representatives attending from supporters' clubs including London, Midlands UK, Huddersfield, Dublin, Derry, Belfast. West of Ireland, Edinburgh, Vancouver and You Boys in Green," he explained. "We were delighted to be joined by international centurian, Kevin Kilbane as well by the Oireachtas Supporters' club, represented on the day by Senator Jimmy Harte and Senator Mary Moran." During 2013, the Association is using each of its home international matches to promote The Gathering. The Republic of Ireland v Poland match on February 6 already included a number of initiatives supported by Tourism Ireland to encourage Polish people who had visited or lived in Ireland to come back for the game, including a successful fans' friendly on the day of the match. For the Austrian match, the Association worked with Tourism Ireland on a media visit designed to encourage Austrian supporters to travel and similar initiatives are being planned to promote Swedish supporter visits for the World Cup qualification match in September 2013. Almost 3,000 Austrian supporters visited Dublin for the match.The Association will also support The Gathering by hosting underage tournaments in Ireland during 2013, an U16 boys and girls developmental tournament from May 6 - 15 and a U17 girls tournament from September 21 -26. In total this will involve 9 visiting teams from UEFA confederation members. Ahead of the June 7 World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands, the Association is providing support for the Irish World Cup 2013 event which is being organised by Conference Partners with the support of Fáilte Ireland. It will be an amateur football tournament open to both male & female adult football teams of all skill levels from all over the world. The event will take place from the 7th – 9th June 2013 in University College Dublin, and will include a festival element with a custom built World Cup Village, which will be the central hub of entertainment for participants and spectators to gather and eat, watch the games and soak up the atmosphere. Welcoming the initiatives today, Republic of Ireland international, Sean St Ledger who will be taking part in a club Gathering event in Carlow during the summer, one of a number throughout Ireland said, "Football and sport are central to so many communities and people's lives everywhere and it is good to see it being used to help generate more visits to the country during the Gathering Ireland 2013.

Want to play in the Poland Ireland fans' friendly?

Created on Wednesday, 30 January 2013 15:49

Want to play in the Poland Ireland fans' friendly? The FAI, in association with Dublin City Council, the Polish FA and the Gathering Ireland is organising a fans' friendly in Irishtown Stadium Ringsend from 2.30pm to 4.30pm on February 6, the day of the Ireland v Poland match in Aviva Stadium – KO 7.45pm. The event is free of charge and will be a great start to the day for anyone intending on going to the match in the evening, reliving the special atmosphere in Poland last summer. There will be shower facilities, dressing rooms, cloak rooms for storing bags while playing, free food and music and a street football challenge area. The activities will include a series of 5 aside friendly matches managed by a team of FAI coaches. They will mix teams so that Polish people play alongside Irish people to encourage good interaction. Bibs and balls will all be provided. Participants just need to bring their own playing gear. All surfaces are artificial. There will also be a street football warm up area with skill challenges including tyres, street signs, bins etc. The emphasis is on fun and participation. Pre registration is required so if you are interested, please register here. Teams are welcome as well as individual applicants. Applicants must be over 18

FAI joins forces with WorldIrish

Created on Thursday, 07 February 2013 16:05

The Football Association of Ireland today announced a partnership with WorldIrish.com that will enable it to map supporters around the globe. With so many Irish people emigrating in recent years, the FAI is calling on Irish football supporters everywhere to go to WorldIrish.com/fai and map themselves. As well as putting themselves on a special FAI map, supporters who map themselves on worldIrish.com/fai will be able to keep up with stories and events from the FAI, as well as finding other supporters all over the world whether they are in Buenos Aires or Brisbane. "We are very happy to announce this partnership with WorldIrish which is an excellent way for supporters to connect with each other and stay in touch with all of the latest news on Irish football wherever they are in the world," said John Delaney, Chief Executive of the FAI. Republic of Ireland Manager Giovanni Trapattoni has called on Irish football supporters to join WorldIrish and map themselves in a special video: http://www.worldirish.com/story/22428 "We're delighted to partner with one of Ireland's leading organisations to help them bring together their supporters from all around the world in one digital place. For the first time people will be able to see exactly where the green flag flies," said WorldIrish CEO Michael Branagan. WorldIrish, a free website which currently has 50,000 registered members, is aiming to help Ireland to become the first country in the world to map its diaspora. The brainchild of John McColgan, one of the founders of worldwide phenomenon Riverdance, he came up with the idea for WorldIrish when he imagined the potential power of a welcoming digital space for the diaspora. WorldIrish has been endorsed by several notable figures including Mary McAleese, Gabriel Byrne and Joseph O'Connor.