Ireland internationals James McClean, Enda Stevens and Kevin Long make donate to League of Ireland player fund

The Irish trio, alongside other players who are clients of former Ireland striker Graham Barrett’s Integrity Sport company, have backed the former Arsenal starlet’s idea and contributed €25,000 to aid those affected by the cancellation of football during the pandemic.

Ex-Derry City winger, McClean, has always stated that playing in the League of Ireland gave him his big chance and he was only more than happy to donate to the fund.

“I had been telling Graham I wanted to donate to some form of charity and help out in some way. We were going back and forth with ideas and Graham came up with this idea,” he insisted.

“He told me he had something in mind and to hold off in terms of donating to a certain charity. When he told me what his idea was, I had no hesitation to donate.

“Considering how great the league was for me, it’s where I came through, so to see teams struggling disappoints me.

“I saw Sligo Rovers have laid off players and staff and clubs in the League of Ireland aren’t blessed like some clubs in England, they rely on their gates.

“Players back home still have to pay mortgages and stuff on 52 weeks a year contracts, so as soon as Graham said this was his idea, then I was more than happy to chip in.”

McClean is a big supporter of the league and says he knew all Barrett’s clients would donate to the cause.

“It’s amazing to see everyone chipping in,” he added.

“A lot of Graham’s clients have come from the league and the league has been great to us all so the minute he pitched the idea, it was no brainer for us to help out.

“We were those players not so long ago. We had those bills so we know how tough it is. You don’t get the wages back in Ireland like we get over here.

“We are in privileged position and are privileged enough where we can give something back so yeah it was a no brainer.”

The Stoke City man admits he has had a few set-backs during his recovery from a knee problem and feels the coronavirus may in the long run help him.

"Everything has sort of been turned upside down and it's a kind of bittersweet one," he said.

"Obviously I have been struggling with this knee injury and I have had a set-back here and there. I was pushing myself probably too hard, to try and get fit for the playoffs and also get back helping Stoke, especially the position we are in, so in a way it has given me more time to get this knee injury right.

"However in the same scene I have got a gym at home and a back garden, which is thankfully big enough to the drills, gym work and fitness work that I need to do to keep sharp and keep in shape."

The Creggan man also made a donation towards supplies for people in Derry who have been unable to source essential items amid the ongoing coronavirus bulk-buying frenzy.

The 30-year-old said he wanted to help elderly people, families with young children and people under economic pressure as a result of the coronavirus emergency.

“It’s important you never forget where you have come from,” explained McClean.

“It goes a long way toward helping if you can do something because I’m grateful for the position I’m in. I don’t take it for granted and if I can help people who are in hard times, then I’m more than happy to because I do think it’s important.

“The donation for the food came about because I was banging my head against the wall. I wanted to do something that was going to help people that really needed it. I was also thinking about the NHS staff but I didn’t know the right channels to go down there so, in the end, I decided to donate to help elderly and families with young children.”