Photo by Stephen McCarthy
January 4 saw Athlone Town's Youth Academy announce an expansion, marking a bright start to 2024. The new academy will introduce a comprehensive training and competition program for footballers between 6 and 14 years of age.
Athlone Town AFC is proud to announce the expansion of its Youth Academy, introducing a comprehensive training and competition program for young football enthusiasts aged 6 to 14 years, set to commence in the coming weeks. #ATAFChttps://t.co/NlLcgdEjSx
— Athlone Town AFC (@AthloneTownAFC) January 5, 2024
This announcement comes a month and a half after Athlone triumphed over Shelbourne, winning the 2023 Women's Football Association of Ireland (WFAI) Cup title and highlights that their victory could pave the way for the next generation of aspiring female footballers.
Athlone Town's Youth Academy Expansion
According to Athlone Town’s website, the training academy consists of two programs that cater to specific age groups. These are the “Junior Academy” for those aged 6-10 and the “Pre-Academy” for those aged 11-14.
Aspiring players can undertake these programmes in a full-time or part time capacity. The full time or “Club Teams” route lasts 10 months and provides extensive training and opportunities for development. The part time or “Clinics and Camps” route runs for 1 month and offers players the chance to hone their abilities in a flexible environment.
Previous Funding Concerns
Athlone Town's Youth Academy expansion just mere months after their league triumph is even more impressive considering the underlying concerns of funding for Irish women’s football. Despite Athlone’s WFAI title win, their director of football, Michael O’Connor, expressed his concerns to Final Whistle.ie in regards to club funding.
As @AthloneTownAFC celebrate the capture of the @FAIWomen’s Cup, the club’s first senior cup in a century, their Director of Football Michael O’Connor discusses the challenges faced by League of Ireland clubs to keep their operations afloat without adequate supports from the… pic.twitter.com/lbregj0AH8
— FinalWhistle.ie (@FinalWhistleIE) November 19, 2023
“We have athletes coming through, these are not just girls kicking a ball they’re athletes, they give up their time three times a week to train, play, our underage has to be funded by them or their parents," he said.
O’Connor added, “And we have great representative on the Irish underage teams that are quite successful, but no funding from the government to the League of Ireland.”
Given this statement was made just over a month ago by O'Connor, Athlone Town's Youth Academy expansion illustrates that progress is being made towards giving children including girls, ample opportunities to achieve their goals at Athlone Town Stadium.
