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This page aims to provide NECSL Clubs, Players and Parents with a better understanding of the FAI Program for elite young footballers, provide an overview of our program and highlight the current structures in place for identifying talented players within our League.
The NECSL FAI Emerging Talent Programme is an FAI Program run for NECSL Clubs and Players. The Program helps identify and develop talented young players within the NECSL with a view to helping them progress onto the Regional, National and potentially International stage in due course.
The FAI Emerging Talent Program is a structured programme of development, which mirrors best practice in European and World standards, at League, Regional and National level to assist clubs and leagues
Emerging Talent Programme Aims
The NECSL Emerging Talent Program operates in line with FAI revolving door policy, meaning players can be invited into the program throughout the year to evaluate their suitability to the program.
The aim of the NECSL Emerging Talent Programme is to provide an opportunity at the local level for the best players (Boys & Girls) within our league to train together in a structured environment on a weekly basis.
The Program is run at the following age groups within the NECSL and provides the first step on the Elite Player Pathway for our most talented players.
Girls:
Boys:
NECSL ETP Squads participate in Interleague Games and sometimes tournaments throughout the year, and every year our U14 Boys & Girls will participate in the annual Kennedy Cup & Gaynor Cup in University Limerick.
Both the Kennedy & Gaynor Cups are national competitions that are run by the SFAI. The competition consists of representative teams from all 26 schoolboy/girls leagues from around the country.
Throughout the Year the best players from our NECSL Emerging Talent squads are invited into participate in the Boys & Girls Regional FAI Centre of Excellence Programme.
Our regional FAI Centre of Excellence operates out of Kingscourt in Cavan, and is composed of the best players from the Emerging Talent Programs of the NECSL, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan leagues. Likewise, all other leagues throughout the country feed into separate FAI Centre’s of Excellence within the different regions.
Boys & Girls: Centres of Excellence
The Centres of Excellence Programme is the second step on the Elite Player Pathway for Boys & Girls. The aim of this programme is to further raise the technical ability of elite players through the provision of further training and lifestyle development at regional level which will ultimately prepare them for the next step, National and then potentially International Football. The concept is simple: get the best players in the country together to receive elite level coaching to aid their development.
Talent identification events called “Open Training Sessions” are designed to give NECSL Club Players the chance to train with existing NECSL ETP squads and to also provide ETP coaches the opportunity to evaluate players in realistic and challenging environments.
Open Training Session Objectives
Open Training Session Structure
**Please Note, Players can only be invited into Open Training Sessions by an Emerging Talent Program Coach.
Open Training Session(s) are held throughout the year and Coaches will be attending Club games throughout the season evaluating and identifying players for the Program.
NECSL Clubs can recommend players for the Program on a continuous basis by completing the Player Identification form below. This form is to be completed by Club officials and Juvenile Secretaries and we would ask that Clubs only put forward players they feel are of ETP standard. Once put forward, our Coaches will get out and see the player(s) in a Club game and may in turn invite the Player in for Open Training Session(s) at a later date.