FAI staff are reportedly concerned about potential redundancies after the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced a forthcoming ‘Business Transformational Plan’. The plan is slated to be presented to the board for approval next month.
Speculation regarding staff reductions has been circulating due to the association’s debt levels, which have remained stable at €40 million in recent years.
Notably, FAI Chief Executive David Courell has shifted his stance from previously dismissing the possibility of layoffs to acknowledging it as a potential outcome in his last media address in April.
According to the most recent annual accounts, the FAI employs 251 staff members, resulting in payroll expenses totaling €13.6 million.
The Republic of Ireland Women’s national football team’s failure to qualify for this year’s Women’s Euros in Switzerland cost the FAI a minimum of €2 million in prize money. Conversely, successful qualification for the men’s World Cup in 2026 (USA, Canada, and Mexico) would generate at least €10 million.
Heimir Hallgrímsson’s Ireland are seeded third in their group behind Portugal and Hungary. Finishing second in the group would provide a path to the finals through the playoffs.
The FAI’s staff engagement committee, comprising employee representatives, was briefed on the upcoming transformational plan at the organisation’s headquarters this week.
While details remain vague, the expectation is that the restructuring process will ultimately lead to a smaller workforce. It is currently unclear whether voluntary redundancies will be offered.
“Our senior leadership team have been working for quite some time now looking at how, as an organisation, we’re structured to be as effective as we can be,” Courell stated three months ago.
“We have big ambitions for Irish football and want to make sure we’re aligned to deliver on those.
“We were entering into a review of how we would structure our organisation to deliver our pathways plan.
“We’re also nearing a construct of what 2026 to 2029 strategy will look like, taking the opportunity to look at how we’re structured as an organisation to ensure we’re set up in the best way to deliver locally, regionally, nationally – making sure that we’re as efficient as we can be as a not-for-profit organisation.”
Separately, it’s understood that the Cork-based Education Training Board (ETB) course for aspiring footballers is being discontinued.
The course currently employs four coordinators: former Cork City players Stuart Ashton, Dave Hill, Ian Turner, and Mark McNulty.
It is currently unknown whether these individuals will be redeployed within the ETB.
