SIPTU urges Minister to safeguard grassroots football ahead of FAI board meeting

SIPTU has called on Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, to urgently intervene to ensure that decisions made by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) do not undermine the health of the game at grassroots level.

The call comes as the FAI Board is due to meet today.

SIPTU members working across the organisation have expressed growing concern that restructuring plans and ongoing uncertainty threaten both jobs and the community programmes that are the backbone of Irish football.

SIPTU Sector Organiser, Robbie Purfield, said: “Minister O’Donovan must act now and guarantee that grassroots football and the staff who sustain it are not sacrificed in the name of short-term change. Without a clear commitment to protecting jobs and community development, the very foundations of the game are at risk.

“Football cannot be rebuilt from the top down, it must be supported from the ground up.”

He added: “Our members have shown through the Our Union, Our Team campaign that they are ready to defend the future of the sport.

“That campaign will recommence its public actions if necessary. However, what is needed immediately is government leadership to ensure that decisions taken in the FAI boardroom serve the interests of players, communities and staff across the country.”

SIPTU has already written to both the FAI and the Oireachtas Committee on Sport seeking urgent engagement on issues of job security, governance and accountability.

The Union is now making direct representations to Minister O’Donovan, stressing that proper consultation with workers, transparency in decision-making and protection of community football must be at the heart of any proposals for change.

Purfield said: “Grassroots football is the heartbeat of the game in our communities.

“Workers, volunteers and young players alike deserve certainty, not upheaval.

“The Minister cannot remain on the side-lines while decisions are taken that threaten the future of the game.”