Ian Harte caused a social media stir this week among fans of League of Ireland clubs after the football scout was quoted on a betting blog saying "the Irish League (sic) is the Irish League (sic)".
Most of the points made by Harte, who works as a scout for UK based Sports Management International, were uncontroversial. He talked about how if the Irish national team wants to do well, we need players playing at the highest possible level. He talked about how the Irish League (sic) was a good quality league which gave young players a platform to start their careers.
Neither of these points are in dispute.
What is in dispute, is Harte's contention that clubs here are "killing young lads’ chances" to make a career in the game. His argument that Shamrock Rovers are "pricing out" big Premier League clubs from signing players - his example being Justin Ferizaj - just doesn't make sense.
There are numerous examples of players leaving Ireland for the UK as soon as the law allows (18 years) with little or no fees being paid by English clubs. Players here, guided by their agents, rarely sign a contract that would see them turn 19 with their club. It was one of the major talking points about the recent transfer of Mason Melia from St Patrick's Athletic to Tottenham Hotspur. Melia, and his management, signed a three-year contract when he turned 16. He remains an outlier.
Michael Noonan hit the headlines in recent weeks, but his first professional contract expires while he's 18. If Noonan wishes to have his pick of moves when he's 18, he can decide where he wants to go and the new club will only have to pay compensation. Sam Curtis and Adam Murphy both left St Pats after the end of the 2023 season, as they turned 18, and neither of their English clubs had to pay a transfer fee. Nobody stood in their way.
Ferizaj himself turned 18 early in 2023, and that summer he left Shamrock Rovers. While Harte has claimed that the price tag set by Shamrock Rovers scared off "big" Premier League clubs, it wasn't enough to deter Frosinone - then in Serie A. We don't know how much Frosinone paid for a player who hasn't featured in a senior squad since his move nearly two years ago, but it's safe to assume it wasn't too taxing on the club now playing in Serie B.
SEE ALSO: The Tide Is Turning With The League of Ireland, But Fans Still Need Patience
Who has the best interest of Irish football at heart?
So if we've established that a) most players who can move to England as soon as they can at 18 and that b) the fees that our clubs can demand are virtually all minimal, we have to ask ourselves is this a good thing?
Harte believes so. He shared a photo standing over Kyle Fitzgerald as he signed a contract with Newcastle United just after her turned 18 in recent weeks. Galway United weren't mentioned in the post. Fitzgerald had been with the club since age 14, signing a professional contract ahead of the 2024 season where he made his senior debut for the club.
Massive congratulations #KyleFitzgerald who has signed for @NUFC 🙌🏼 Unbelievable move Kyle well done from everyone at the @smi_world family 🙌🏼 @ianharte23 @IrelandFootball #nufc pic.twitter.com/fNJx3rv0Ai
— Sport Management Int (@SMi_World) February 14, 2025
So who benefits from English clubs taking in Irish youngsters cheaply? English clubs will, of course. The players might, but only might. People such as FAI Academy Director Will Clarke have argued that the money spent by UK clubs is a factor in how young players are treated. The more a club has invested in a player, the more likely they are to treat that player with respect.
How the player will progress in his career will still largely be down to his talent and his work rate, but there's still an element of luck involved. A player that the club have invested little in can be discarded quickly enough if he doesn't immediately fulfill his potential, while a player who costs them more will be given the support to improve.
Who do you think has the best interests of Irish football at heart? Will Clarke - the man who's job is to develop Irish footballers - or Ian Harte, whose job it is to facilitate transfers?
Let's just look at it purely from a financial point of view. This week we have heard from the new junior Minister for Sport that funding for LOI academies, as mentioned in the programme for government, is not "imminent". If everyone - politicians, people working in the game here, former internationals like Ian Harte - agrees that our academies need more funding, where do they think that funding will come from?
The best academy facilities in the country are currently operated by Shamrock Rovers. While they had help getting it off the ground, the Roadstone center has been hugely developed thanks to transfer and other ancillary fees received from clubs abroad relating to Gavin Bazunu, Liam Scales and more. That has helped attract in young players such as Victor Ozhianvuna, who impressed recently in Europe. If he moves abroad - and plenty of clubs appear to be interested = the cycle will continue. The only funding that is coming into Irish football is from fans, owners and through transfer fees.
The best players will always find their level. Some will need a bit of luck, but there is nobody holding Mason Melia back. All St Pats have done is treat him with respect, give him a platform to develop and not sell themselves short. The €2 million that St Pats will receive for him will help develop the next Sam Curtis, James Abankwah, Josh Keeley or Luke McNally.
Ian Harte is missing the point entirely if he thinks this is a bad thing.
