James McClean and fellow Ireland stars raise over €30,000 to fund Scholarship initiative for League of Ireland

The pilot scheme will identify one 17-year old boy and one 17-year old girl who will receive a salary as well as their schooling covered in conjunction with going full-time at the professional club they're affiliated to.

McClean, Gavin Bazunu, Seamus Coleman, Enda Stevens and Kevin Long as well as a number of other players raised the substantial figure to put into a fund to help League of Ireland players through a very difficult period of time, with the help of the PFAI.

"As players who've come through the league, we're aware of how difficult it can be for young players to make their way into full-time football whilst balancing education," said former Derry City and current Wrexham winger, McClean.

"Coming through at Derry City was really difficult and I'd like to help make it easier for the next generation to make their way in the game. It is really important that we support young players in the future to develop the league but also the national team after that. We care about the league and the players coming through, and I hope this is the first step to creating a league-wide scheme in the future.”

McClean also called for more government funding for the League of Ireland to help it ‘thrive’.

"The league is something that is very dear to the players involved,” he added. “It’s where we got our education. We want to help the next generation because if you have a strong (domestic) league you end up having a strong national team. This is just a start and if we can get the proper funding and backing being because it has the potential to be something really big.

“The association (FAI) is on board which is vital and great so the next step is to get the government to give it their backing it to take it onto a new level. It should be a government-funded thing anyway.

"From when I left the league back in 2011 to now, nothing has really changed at all. In 2023, that shouldn’t be the case. Our domestic league back home should be stronger than what it is and I think that has held the national team back in a way.

“You look at the development young players get here in England and it’s no coincidence they’re doing so well at a national level because of that. It’s going to take a lot of time to get to that level but you have to start somewhere. Hopefully this is the start of something towards success for the league and ultimately for the benefit of the national team.

"It’s something we’re at the early stages in but it definitely has the potential for it to go where we want it to go. This is the first step. We’ll see how this goes. The league is something that’s quite close to my heart and close to the people who are involved (in the scheme). It gave us our first start in football.

"I’m still a massive Derry City fan as Gavin (Bazuna) is a Shamrock Rovers fan and I know Seamus (Coleman) keeps an eye on Sligo results and Finn Harps results. We want the league to thrive. We want the young players in the league coming through to thrive.”

Due to the management clubs displayed during the COVID pandemic, money remains from the players fund and the players have agreed to use the money to pilot a scholarship initiative.

The programme intends to act as a bridge between a young player starting their career before receiving their wage on their first professional contract. Each player will also work with a mental health professional to help monitor and improve how the players navigate the stresses of professional football.

The players, supported by Graham Barrett, will work closely with the FAI and PFAI to identify the correct place and clubs to pilot the initiative, with a start date of next season. The FAI is due to launch its new player pathways plan later this year and education will be an integral part so this programme will be a helpful trial for some of the key areas of that development.

Speaking at the launch, Ireland senior international goalkeeper, Bazunu said: "This initiative is incredibly important and something very close to my heart as well as the other players. When we initially raised the funds, it was to help league players through COVID but as much of that fund wasn't required, we're delighted to put those funds back into the league.

"We didn't want the money back and we decided this would make a really positive impact on players coming through the league. I was the first player to benefit from a similar scheme at Shamrock Rovers and I feel it has to be more widespread. It's great to launch this pilot with the support from the FAI today and hopefully this pilot scheme can grow into something substantial for the League of Ireland."

FAI Director of Football Marc Canham said: "This programme will be a great trial for some of the initiatives that will form the wider integration of education, which we see as one of the biggest opportunities for football development across the country.

"Developing more and better Irish players will be one of the overall aims of the new Football Pathways plan and to achieve that we need to look at the development of our players both technically and academically. I also think it’s extremely important to acknowledge and thank the players for wanting to give back and be involved in the development structure of the Irish game."