Social Democrats TD Daniel Ennis has praised Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes following his return from the World Cup with Cape Verde, and used the moment to renew his call on the Government for real investment in League of Ireland academies, grassroots and communities.
Deputy Ennis, who is the party’s spokesperson on sport, said:
“Coming from a League of Ireland background myself, I know exactly what it takes to go from training on poor pitches and facilities, with little support, to competing at any level, never mind a World Cup. Pico Lopes went from Shamrock Rovers captain to marking Messi and taking Argentina to extra time in the last 16 – on the world’s biggest stage.
“That’s not a fluke. It’s what happens when a talented player is supported and given a platform.
“If we want to see more players like Pico Lopes, it’s simple – we need to invest in our academies, in our grassroots and in our communities. Not just in terms of facilities, but in the personnel delivering the game, and in upskilling them properly.
“The figures tell their own story. The FAI gets €6 million a year from the Government, and Budget 2026 added a further €3 million for League of Ireland academies. That sounds significant until you realise the FAI’s own ask was already reduced from €10 million to €8 million, then down to a final appeal of €4.45 million before the Government settled on €3 million. Even the compromise got compromised.
“That €3 million was meant to fund three full-time roles, a director of football, a lead coach and an administrator in each of the 26 academies. Instead, it will deliver one, maybe two.
“Right now, there are just 10 full-time employees working across our entire academy system nationwide. That is not a system built to produce top class, international footballers – that’s a system held together by volunteers and goodwill.
“A Government-funded audit already confirmed the scale of the problem. Our youth football facilities lag well behind other countries ranked 51st to 100th in the world by FIFA. Only 4% of our clubs have a full-time head of coaching, compared to 46% in similarly ranked associations, and not a single LOI club has the minimum of four full-time academy coaches that 36% of those countries manage.
“We are asking our clubs to compete at the highest level while giving them a fraction of the personnel our European counterparts take for granted.
“The FAI’s own 2026-2029 Strategy sets out the scale of ambition needed. But ambition and vision need to be backed by multi-annual funding for the elite side of our game as well as the grassroots community side.
“The league is flying right now, and that’s down to the people running our clubs day in, day out, and has long been held together because of this and the resolve and professionalism of our players over the years. None of that is thanks to the Government or the FAI – it’s despite them. Both need to start giving the League of Ireland the support and attention it actually deserves.
“Pico’s story should be a wake-up call. Imagine what our game could produce if clubs had proper facilities, proper personnel and funding to match the talent coming through from our clubs and our communities across the country.
“I’ll be pushing the Government for real commitments on League of Ireland infrastructure, academy staffing and funding, because we shouldn’t have to rely on individual brilliance and a bit of luck to see our players succeed on the world stage.
“I’d like to offer my congratulation to Pico, his family and to Shamrock Rovers on everything he’s achieved this summer. He has shown the country what’s possible. Now it’s down to the Government and the FAI to back the league that produced him.”
July 7, 2026