FAI Receives €3m for Irish League Academies

Here’s a summary of the key information from the provided text:

* Academy Funding Reduction: Funding for League of Ireland (LOI) academies has been reduced from an initial projection of €130,000 per academy to around €93,000 due to an overall budget decrease.
* academies Receiving Funding: 26 academies will receive funding, including both men’s and women’s clubs: Athlone Town, Bohemians, Bray Wanderers, CK United, Cork City, Cobh Ramblers, Derry City, Drogheda United, dundalk, Finn Harps, Galway United, Kerry FC, Limerick, Longford Town, Shelbourne, Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers, st Patrick’s Athletic, Treaty United, UCD AFC, Waterford, Wexford, Klub Kildare, Mayo FC, DLR Waves (women), Peamount United (women).
* Government Support: The FAI and LOI expressed gratitude to the government for their continued support of Irish football.
* Long-Term Goal: The initial FAI plan aimed for academies to be self-sufficient by 2037.
* Funding concerns & Safeguarding Issues: future funding was briefly put in question when the FAI CEO initially declined to appear before an Oireachtas committee regarding safeguarding concerns. He later appeared with the senior leadership team.
* additional Sports Funding: Budget 2026 allocated €10.8 million to Sport Ireland, with €2 million for national governing bodies and local sports partnerships, and €500,000 for legacy programs.
* GAA Funding: The GAA will receive €250,000 in core funding and €733,000 to promote hurling in new areas.