The dwindling presence of Irish players in the English Premier League is a cause for concern for the football-loving nation. Currently, active Irish participants in terms of minutes have drifted to 17th position, between Nigeria and Jamaica. This is the lowest participation rate since the Premier League started 20 years ago. It is an alarming trend, despite billions of investments from foreign entities that have undoubtedly globalised the player pool in England. In the maiden 1992/1993 season, the 64,034 minutes played by Irish participants constituted a seven-fold increase on this year’s participating figures. More worryingly, the current tally of 10 players to feature for team-flight teams so far this term have accumulated 8,921 minutes, lower than last year’s participation rate of 14 players.
Gavin Bazunu tops the list for this season, racking up 2,880 minutes but ended up dropping relegation with Southampton. Seamus Coleman takes second place on 1,656 minutes, with much durability at 34 years old but weather-beaten by another relegation scrap. Nathan Collins comes in next with 1,724 minutes over his 25 appearances, and then Evan Ferguson follows with an impressive breakthrough campaign of six league goals. Before this season, Ferguson only made his league debut on St. Stephen’s Day but currently is Brighton’s first-choice No 9. He earned football laurels for himself and Ireland with both teams reaching historic achievements this season. At Brighton, he helped deliver their first-ever European qualification with two games to spare, while scoring one for Ireland. He is the season’s outlier against diminishing returns from an Irish perspective.
The FAI boardroom race is to resurface with Tom Browne’s SFAI tilt. The Schoolboys FAI affiliate sought nominees after the failure of Tom Browne to be ratified by the membership base. The three-day turnaround time from the notice issued till the closing date of April 30 was a bad start for this effort. However, Browne has emerged again as the sole contender. Two hurdles to navigate remain before he can be restored, first, support from his peers within the SFAI council. The second will be returning to the FAI forum where he was previously axed.
Irish sport in general has miles to travel for inclusivity to be embraced. The recent despicable act of racial abuse on Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr in Spain raised the scourge of racism. Even in Ireland, cases have been recorded, such as when Wexford hurler Lee Chin was subjected to racial taunts while Adam Idah endured a similar experience. There have also been instances where diverse squads were subjected to racial slurs. Shamrock Rovers and Cape Verde defender Pico Lopes condemned these acts. “It’s disgusting, not nice at all,” Lopes said at an initiative that saw a branding takeover by LGBTQ+ Ireland to promote inclusion and diversity in advance of Pride month.
In summary, the decline in Irish players in the English Premier League is a cause for concern, and it may take more than investments to address the issue. However, young Irish footballers like Evan Ferguson are providing hope for the future. Measures also need to be taken to promote inclusivity and diversity, particularly within Ireland, where instances of racial abuse are becoming a talking point. Clubs and football associations need to work together to promote intolerance towards such acts.
Ireland’s Declining Premier Exposure Remains Despite Ferguson’s Success
