LEAGUE OF IRELAND fans’ ears pricked up last week when they were referenced by Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin after he was elected for Dublin.
Ó Ríordáin is not the only politician often seen at LOI grounds but is one of the few associated with the league.
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When politicians reference sport, it is normally ‘senior hurling’ or ‘the championship’ — both the GAA and Six Nations varieties.
But Ó Ríordáin is a fan of football, wants to talk about it and have it spoken about within his political circles.
He told SunSport: “I think that football has been treated as a photo op politically.
“It’s not something we prioritised and it’s not something that we understand the power of.
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“The joy that comes from it and the importance of it in people’s eyes . . .
“I did some thinking and talking about football over the last number of years and I think there is so much potential in football to achieve what it achieves everywhere else in the world.
“It’s a passion project for me. I get frustrated as politically, football is an add-on, it’s ‘something I do in my spare time’ when it can be central to your political outlook, as much as the education, health and disability systems.
“Football is something that people spend an awful lot of time talking about, thinking about, engaging in, playing, coaching and organising their communities around . . .
“The joy it gives, the passion it inspires and the unification it can give to people is unparalleled.
“Look at the make-up of the Ireland men’s team and how much of a fantastic anti-division, anti-hate and anti-racism tool football is.
“The lift that it has given the country in the good times has been unparalleled.”
For the cynical, Ó Ríordáin’s credentials as a football fan are there for all to see.
He is part of the Football Walking Tour in the capital with Gary Cooke and Gerry Farrell.
And he was involved in getting the 1924 Olympics recognised as the first football internationals.
Then there is his unique divided club loyalties as he supports Bohemians men’s team and Shelbourne’s women’s team, which he admits needs an explanation.
He said: “So, Shelbourne . . . it was 2012 and I was a new TD.
“My local club Raheny United were trying to become a League of Ireland women’s side.
“They needed a hand on the financial side of things and I helped them get sponsorship with Bus Éireann as transport was their biggest cost.
“So I became a fan and we arranged a free Dart to a Cup final at Lansdowne Road one year and the team did well.
“And of course, they merged with Shels — and Bohs didn’t have a women’s team then.”
His Gypsies fandom goes back further to his schooldays and he followed them on their way to the 1992 FAI Cup final victory against Cork City, when Dave Tilson scored the winner in a 1-0 triumph.
Ó Ríordáin revealed: “He messaged me during the campaign, I was all aflutter!
“I was a Manchester United fan but surrendered my fandom at the start of the Premier League.
“It was, ‘These are going nowhere, what am I getting here? I’m not from Manchester’ and Bohs had won the Cup so I thought this was going to happen so often!
“I sold programmes at Dalymount. I still have one from 1993-94 where they thank the sellers — I was Aidan O’Riordan then.
“It fell away with college and then I was going to a few games and then a few more.
“I wouldn’t claim to be someone who hasn’t missed a game in 30 years. But I do get to a lot more in the last few years.”
FIRST-HAND VIEW
Being a regular Dalymount Park and Tolka Park ensures he does not need reminding of the need for improved facilities.
His work around Dublin Bay North means he has seen it at grassroots level too as he highlights the lack of infrastructure for girls’ teams.
He makes no bones about wanting football to be ambitious, whether it is group stages in Europe, qualifying for tournaments or making the Women’s Premier Division a viable alternative to moving abroad to chase the dream.
But his previous day job as a secondary school teacher in Dublin’s north inner city has provided insight into how he believes football can secure EU funding and a greater role in Irish life.
He added: “I think in terms of what I can do as an MEP, whenever we have political debates on funding, our priorities, what comes to my mind, tend to be education, justice, literacy and football.
“How can I utilise the issue of funding to benefit those areas?
“There is a European social fund that is €100billion. Bohemians utilised it before.
“But one of the issues I feel strongly about is that football is alien to the Irish education system.
“Rugby organises itself primarily through second-level — often a certain type of second-level — schools.
“And GAA is through primary schools. You have Cumann na mBunscol, which are massive occasions.
“The GAA will never take them out of Croke Park because it means so much.
“Then at big matches at half-time, you see the kids on the pitch.
“The GAA understands education, rugby does too, but football is not ingrained in the education system.
“But it could be used and there are European social funds that will support initiatives.
“If you have an average kid who may have difficulty with maths and you ask them, for instance, how many points do Manchester United need to reach the Champions League, they can tell you.
“But 7×3 and they don’t know. It’s the same — acute angles make no sense but passing or shooting angles do.
“With literacy, football has promotion and relegation and all sorts of terms that kids know and understand but are maybe alien to them otherwise.
“There is no end to what this game can do and, while football is not technically a European competency, there is no football committee but there are things we can do.
“Dublin MEP Barry Andrews is a football guy and I can work with other MEPs on it.
“I would also hope in a non-confrontational and non-divisive way to work with the Government.
“It is, ‘Look, I’ve got this mandate from the people of Dublin’ and I would hope the Minister of whatever department would answer my call and we could work together.
“It is the same for League of Ireland clubs, departments or any of the councils as someone who can be an honest broker and has the mandate for the next five years.”
PLAY ITS PART
But while he believes politicians from all sides should embrace football, he argues that football needs to get more political.
He added: “Recently at internationals, FAI President Paul Cooke has pointed out there were local and European elections coming up and to make football a conversation topic on the doorsteps.
“But it is more advantageous to a politician to ask the awkward question of the FAI at an Oireachtas hearing than get a photo op with an FAI administrator.
“I am not saying they do not deserve to be asked tough questions but, for instance, do you think Horse Racing Ireland are getting asked tough questions?
“Football needs to change that, to show its value, to lobby to make sure politicians are putting football in their campaign literature.
“Before the last election, Labour had a football manifesto which I launched with Brian Kerr.
“I don’t want to say we care and they don’t, everyone cares.
“But you need to get football in manifestos because then it goes in the Programme for Government.
“Unless it is in the programme, nothing changes.”