Stephen Bradley believes the Government needs to hear directly from clubs, rather than just the FAI, on how any money handed over for academy funding would be spent.
The Shamrock Rovers boss is set to meet with ministers and TDs in the near future to make a case for public money to be invested into player development in Ireland.
It comes as the FAI’s academy chief Will Clarke issued a stark warning ahead of a Government-funded audit of the Association’s €8m-per-year academy proposal.
That audit is due to be wrapped up by August, ahead of a final decision on funding.
Bradley has been invited to Leinster House to address politicians on the issue, and to discuss a detailed breakdown of where any money would be spent.
He reckons the cause would benefit from TDs hearing directly from the clubs that would be in receipt of state money.
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“It's not all about the FAI,” he said. “I think you've got to understand that. It has to come down to the detail of what the clubs are going to spend the money on. That's where the funding is ultimately going to go.
“People keep talking about Will's presentation (Will Clarke’s presentation last year to politicians) and what they've done.
“I didn't see it and I'm sure it's good, but it's about the clubs' details. It's not about just that.
“Obviously that helps and it's important, but the clubs need a detailed plan of what they are going to spend the money on."
Clarke made a presentation last September to the Department of Sport, outlining plans for 26 academies.
Earlier this week, he warned earlier this week that Irish football would suffer in the post-Brexit era if academies continued to be neglected.
He described the situation as “time critical” and outlined a proposal that would create around 200 new full-time coaching jobs worth around €40,000 per year.
Clubs could top up that salary themselves if they so desired.
Clarke also estimated that just 20 homegrown players aged between 16 and 18 were now receiving full-time training, with players in that bracket prohibited from moving to the UK under Brexit rules, compared to more than 100 five years ago.
Bradley was keen to stress his understanding of the need for the Government to forensically investigate how any money handed over would be spent.
“I do understand why government want to see where every penny is being spent and why it's being spent there. That's quite normal, I would say,” he said.
“But it is up to us to not look to play the victim here and say, 'How do we take them with us and how do we show why this funding is so important?'.
“We know, the people in the clubs and on the ground every day know, but the politicians have other things to think about on a daily basis, hundreds of things.
“So it's up to us to make sure we have real detail on what we want to spend the money on and how we want to spend it and for them to understand that it's not going to get wasted, and that it is really important for the future development of this league and the national team.”
On the subject of showing that clubs are looking for a hand-up rather than a hand-out, before academies become sustainable, he said: “I think that's important.
“That's the part the politicians are nervous about, and you have to understand their point of view, it's quite normal.
“We want things to happen yesterday but that's not the world we live in.
“We have to make sure when we sit down with the people making these decisions that we've got detailed plans to show them on what it's going to be spent on, where it's going to be spent and the reasons why.
“I don't think we should be annoyed at that or be angry about that. We've got to accept that.”
Bradley would be open to certain stipulations being attached to funding, such as clubs in receipt of money having to include a certain number of players under the age of 21 in their matchday squad.
“I understand the unease with (such a proposal), because it's got to be earned and deserved. But I don't think I would have an issue with that,” he said.
“If it came down to that and that was a stumbling block, it would be no problem, I'd have no issue with that.
“But you have to be very careful and say that then you are into the Rooney Rule in terms of interviews for jobs; you've got to be very careful and say people still have to earn it.
“I think our history in this league shows that young players play. Sometimes a certain club has a crop of them at a certain time, and another doesn't have it for two or three years, and that's quite normal.
“But as a whole I think this league shows that young players get opportunities to play.
“I think in Europe there might be something to look at. You have 11 or 12 subs, why not open that up?
“Then that opens even more exposure for young players to be around first-team environments, matchday squads on a regular basis, and get a feel and understanding for what that looks like and how that works.
“Then from there it's getting them on the pitch and getting them minutes.
“I do understand the question and I would support it, but we'd also be very careful that we're not just giving handouts just to tick a box.”
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