by Declan Jordan
The recent annual general meeting of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) was to have discussed a revision to the so-called 'radius rule' in schoolboy football, but the proposal was withdrawn at the last minute. This report from the Irish Independent shows that the issue threatens to undermine the structures for schoolboy football in Dublin and the rest of the country.
The radius rule prohibits schoolboy players from joining schoolboy clubs located more than 49 kilometres from a player's school. The FAI are in favour of doubling the distance to 100 kilometres. It's perceived by schoolboy leagues near larger cities (and especially Dublin) that an increase in the distance allowed would result in the best players being poached by the bigger clubs.
The radius rule prohibits schoolboy players from joining schoolboy clubs located more than 49 kilometres from a player's school. The FAI are in favour of doubling the distance to 100 kilometres. It's perceived by schoolboy leagues near larger cities (and especially Dublin) that an increase in the distance allowed would result in the best players being poached by the bigger clubs.
The fears of the clubs within a 100km radius of the capital are probably well founded. They probably will lose their best players to Dublin clubs. The issue is whether that is necessarily a bad thing for the players, the clubs or for Irish football in general. It's also worth asking whether any restrictions should apply on where a young player wants to play his or her football. While the supporters of a radius rule will likely present it a mechanism to protect young players from opportunist clubs, it is probably more likely a mechanism to protect clubs by preventing their better players, who may benefit from better coaching or better competition from seeking out those coaches and clubs that can provide it.
Clubs will compete for the best players, just as they do in professional sports. However, in professional sports they compete on the basis of wages or transfer fees - or perhaps on the potential to allow the player to be part of a successful team. The two former options are not how schoolboy clubs can compete for players. They can compete however in terms of the level of coaching, level of competition and the potential to bring a player to a level where he or she can progress to higher levels within the game - even to professional or semi-professional levels. Clubs need to stay ahead of local rivals in these areas to ensure they retain the players they want. Where players are prevented from moving over a greater distance the level that clubs need to achieve to be the best club for a young player are obviously reduced.
This is bad for players, bad for clubs and bad for the Irish game in general. We know the impact of competition on raising standards in sport (and in business and other areas too where rivalry leads to innovation and progression). The prospect of a league, albeit in Dublin or Cork or Limerick and not in Louth, Kerry or Clare, that is competitive, with the best players at their respective ages, with coaching structures that are concentrated on those best players would result in better quality players feeding through to senior levels.
Of course, since roads have two directions there is nothing to stop, and a lot to encourage, a club outside a city from developing its coaching, linking with senior or professional clubs to attract players out of the cities. Competition works every way.
This is bad for players, bad for clubs and bad for the Irish game in general. We know the impact of competition on raising standards in sport (and in business and other areas too where rivalry leads to innovation and progression). The prospect of a league, albeit in Dublin or Cork or Limerick and not in Louth, Kerry or Clare, that is competitive, with the best players at their respective ages, with coaching structures that are concentrated on those best players would result in better quality players feeding through to senior levels.
Of course, since roads have two directions there is nothing to stop, and a lot to encourage, a club outside a city from developing its coaching, linking with senior or professional clubs to attract players out of the cities. Competition works every way.
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