The question of a united Ireland soccer team was brought into the limelight in a speech by the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern at the Soccer Writers of Ireland function last month. His preprepared speech, which I believe was sent out to the media well in advance of the dinner, was obviously a deliberate attempt on his part to bring about a discussion in relation to the possibility of a united Ireland team in the future.
I know from experience that this topic has been bubbling under the surface of many sporting and non-sporting people’s minds in Ireland for a long time. People involved in sports other than soccer, such as boxing, rugby, hockey, rowing, athletics and the GAA, often question the fact that the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland still compete as two distinct and separate nations in world soccer and in European club soccer competitions.I think there’s an underlying wish on everyone’s part that we would have a united soccer team, particularly given the dramatic changes that have taken place in Northern Ireland in recent years.
I always found that people in Northern Ireland were very open to discuss the possibility of having an All-Ireland league in soccer, and to debate the issue of the possibility of an All-Ireland team. While at various times both nations have had their own successes in qualifying for the finals of the World Cup, the reality is we are both working from a small playing base compared to the majority of European countries and the stronger nations in world soccer.
In general, club results both North and South in European competitions have been disastrous for many, many years, despite the recent successes in the last few years for League of Ireland clubs. Recent improvements cannot hide the fact that we could have more competitive, professional and successful teams in European football if the top clubs on this small island were playing in the one league.
At international level, while there has always been a debate as to who would have the majority of players on a united team, this shouldn’t be an issue in relation to the idea of having a combined and united team in the future. Short-term victories on the European and world stage for either nation should not blind us to the difficulties of attaining real success.
Obviously, there will be a lack of desire from certain quarters for the present situation to change. It must be remembered that the current grants and assistance towards the development of the game from both Uefa and Fifa are critical to the resources of both football associations. Also, the money available to clubs in both leagues from Uefa competitions is vital to their relative financial well-being. In a united soccer situation, these grants and income streams would be halved unless special allowances were made, as has been the case in situations at the end of various global conflicts.
Similarly, there would be fewer places for our club teams in European competitions and fewer places for our administrators on committees to indulge in the various perks associated with being part of international administration.
On a personal level, I think it would advance the quality of our soccer if we had an All- Ireland league with only the top teams in a 12 or 14-team single division, with regional divisions feeding into it, similar to other European countries.
I would think that an All- Ireland soccer team could only be stronger if we had a larger pool of talent to pick from.
Thinking logically, I cannot see this happening in the near future. But given the excellent success of the Setanta Cup, featuring teams from both leagues, I feel that genuine football people and fans are considering the benefits of these types of proposals very seriously.
