The FAI have admitted that if they checked every adult that works with children, for criminal and child protection issues, it would take until 2020 minimum.
Each week approximately 100,000 children between the ages of 6-17 are involved in football throughout Ireland under the supervision of coaches.
While the FAI have ensured the 26,000 adults involved in coaching who undertook their courses through the association are screened for past indiscretions, it’s believed a similar amount have gone without checking.
FAI’s Coach Education manager, Niall O’Regan, stated:
“It is difficult and it will take us time but we have an exceptional engagement with our child welfare and our Garda vetting,” he explained.
“This wasn’t always mandatory. Till now, adults who engaged into our coaching pathway would have to be vetted.
“From 2017, it is mandatory for every volunteer working with the club to be vetted.
“At present, we’ve just a rough estimate on the number of coaches working with kids in Ireland but we’ve moved to a new system called FAInet, the first time in history of football where we will be physically able to identify how many players and coaches we have.
“The FAI have a strategic plan to introduce a coaching ID card so that by 2020, every coach in association football will have one with their picture, club, coaching qualification if they have one, and on the back of, their Garda vetting number and child welfare number.
“By 2020, coaches will have to show their coaching ID card to the referee before every game. If they don’t produce it, then they won’t actually be allowed to be involved form the sidelines.
“We’re not just reactional to something that’s happened,” he asserted. “This is something we’re leading.
“I don’t think the other national governing bodies will have a process where they have ID cards.
“It’s sad what has happened (in England) and what’s come to the fore but thankfully we have already identified good strategies to ensure we know exactly who is coaching in our game, what level they go up to and making sure that every player that’s playing the game of football in Ireland is doing so in a safe environment.”