There has been a lot of talk over the past two seasons about the League of Ireland and its development of players, which has improved markedly in recent times.
The past few years has seen a number of high profile players use the league as a launching pad greater success away from Ireland. Richie Towell, Daryl Horgan, and Sean Maguire are just a few of the players who've not only left the League, but gone on to play high-end Championship level football.
The rising standards within the league has not only made clubs more competitive in Europe, brought more foreign scouts to games, and improved the standard of play to the point that it's now a viable alternative for young players who otherwise would move to the UK to play academy football usually between the ages of 13 and 16.
Johnny Ward and The Star's Kieran Cunningham joined Off The Ball for the Boylesports Football Chat on Saturday, and Ward noted that not only is the development of the league great for fans and players, but it's affording coaches an incredible opportunity to cut their teeth.
"There's a pathway for under 13s, under 15s, under 17s up, not just for players but for young coaches. We talk about the lack of young coaches in the Premier League, there's going to be a major pathway for coaches in the League of Ireland. The obvious example is Shamrock Rovers, where you have Damien Duff, Stephen Bradley, Cronin, and McPhail as well. It's going to be something of a revolution I think, certainly in terms of how it's going to help football at a grassroots level, it's going to be huge".
Talk soon moved to how the talent within the league is no longer just based in Dublin, as most of the top teams in the country are now based in smaller counties, and the most recent Ireland squad had just four Dubliners, but six from Cork and three from the comparatively small city of Derry. Ward believes this, along with better coaching and a real feeder system into the senior teams, is part of their success, as it brings about a strong community vibe in these rural regions which has led to their notable success.
"You have an under 13s, under 15s, under 17s, and under 19s teams playing for say Cobh Ramblers, or Drogheda, or Athlone, or Longford. So all of a sudden you've 100 parents whose kids are playing for that team. All of a sudden they're going to feel involved as part of the club. The coaches are invariably going to be former players at that club, and it's really embedded in the community."
To hear the rest of the chat simply click here and access the entire Saturday show.
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