New path for young Cork soccer players due to Brexit impact

THE Irish football community was shocked recently by the transfer of Cork teenager Cathal Heffernan to AC Milan.

The defender signed for the Italian giants on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season, and by going to Italy, he became the third Irish teenager, after Kevin Zefi and Glory Nzingo, to join a club on the continent in the last 12 months.

The other two footballers; who are also under the age of 18, played in the underage National Leagues in Ireland before transferring to Inter Milan and Stade de Reims respectively.

Their moves are a glimpse into the new world of Irish football, created in the aftermath of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. This new reality is a complete breakaway from the old traditions.

The law now is that Irish players have to wait until they are 18 to sign for a club in the UK. But, they can still sign for clubs in Europe, once they are over 16.

This new system puts to bed the practice of footballers from the youth leagues getting drafted by British academies. This was once a well-travelled path, which regularly produced top-class Irish players.

Recent Cork examples include Caoimhín Kelleher moving to Liverpool from Ringmahon, Adam Idah joining Norwich from Corinthians, Adam O’Reilly going to Preston North End from Ringmahon Rangers, Ethon Varian moving to Stoke City from Greenwood AFC, and Tyriek Wright signing for Aston Villa from Lakewood Athletic.

These players were below the age of 18 when they made the move to England, and they are currently enjoying successful careers.

Other players went to England and developed, before coming home to sign for clubs in the League of Ireland.

Historical examples include Gearóid Morrissey signing for Blackburn Rovers from Ringmahon Rangers and Liam Kearney moving to Nottingham Forest from Fermoy United. Both of these players were under the age of 18 and returned home to play for Cork City FC. FIFA gave these transfers a special mention in a 2021 report, which stated that the Republic of Ireland was the country with the most players under 18 who transferred abroad from 2011 to 2020.

While England is never cited as the destination, an educated guess would say that the majority of the transfers were from Irish clubs to English academies. Brexit has shattered this tradition, but it’s not the first time Irish football has had to adapt to a seismic change.

In the early 2000s, in the aftermath of the Bosman ruling, FIFA created a new set of rules for transfers. One of those was banning the international transfer of minors, with an exception being over 16s in the European Union.

This put an end to Irish players moving away from home at 14 and it raised the age for an international transfer between European clubs to 16.

Brexit is far bigger than the aftermath of the Bosman ruling, as it totally rewrites the longstanding traditions of Irish football. Ireland has already begun adapting to this new landscape.

A glimpse into this was on show last year in Cork during the qualifying tournament for the U17 European Championships.

The Irish team which faced Andorra at Turner’s Cross did not have one player with an English academy in the starting XI. What was also noticeable, was that eight of the starting XI were with clubs in the League of Ireland.

This shows that Irish players are staying home beyond the age of 16, whereas they would have signed for English academies before Brexit.

RELIANCE

This means that there is a greater reliance on League of Ireland clubs to scout, nurture, and develop young footballers.

Prior to Brexit, they competed with English clubs for the best players across Cork and Ireland.

Now, League of Ireland clubs like Cork City and Cobh Ramblers, are tasked with developing young talent.

When Liam Kearney was made Cork City’s Head of Academy in January 2021, he immediately spoke about the situation Irish football is in following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

“With Brexit and players not able to go until 18, it is an opportunity for the League of Ireland,” he said. “My role now is overseeing the four teams in the National Leagues, having the coaches right and always upskilling the coaches.

“Colin Healy has done great work in the last few years bringing in technology, making sure diets are right, strength and conditioning.

These boys are in training three nights a week and then playing against the best in Ireland every week.”

The players ply their trade in the National Leagues, which has the best young players competing against one another. Those players are also looked after by top coaches like former Irish international Damien Duff, who recently coached Shelbourne’s U15s, and Celtic legend Paddy McCourt, who currently works with Derry City’s academy.

Colin Healy, who played for a host of top clubs including Celtic and Sunderland, built the academy structures for Cork City during his time as Head of Academy.

The structures which Healy built nurtured four members of the Irish U17 squad last autumn. One of those is Cathal Heffernan, who is already training with AC Milan in Italy. This is the new world Irish football is in, where League of Ireland clubs have to be centres of excellence and Europe is the ultimate ambition.