Yesterday, the new SSE Airtricity National U17 League was launched at FAI headquarters with Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane and the FAI's High Performance director Ruud Dokter in attendance.
The new underage league will be made of 22 clubs, 19 of which are current League of Ireland clubs, and is seen as an addition on the pathway towards senior football.
But how will it affect schoolboy football clubs and what issues could it face as it established itself?
Ex-Shelbourne midfielder and League of Ireland analyst Stuart Byrne and The Irish Independent writer Daniel McDonnell were on Off The Ball to discuss the pros and cons and you can listen to that chat via our podcast:
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