Businessman Denis O’Brien was named as Honorary Life President of the FAI on Saturday after ten years of financial support for the sport that is believed to have topped €12.5 million since 2010.
The Association also revealed new pricing structures for corporate seats at the Aviva Stadium with top seats on the halfway line now available for €5,000 per annum on a ten-year basis or €2,000 on a two-year deal.
Given they would also secure access for the Euro 2020 games we will host in two summers time, there has never been a better time to buy, even if optimism around the team remains muted after the defeat to Denmark in the World Cup Qualifier last year.
The Republic of Ireland will face Wales and Denmark again in the first staging of the Nations League starting in three weeks time and our performance in that will determine our seeding for the draw for the Euro 2020 qualifiers taking place in Dublin on December 2nd.
Being one of the twelve host cities for the tournament guarantees us three group matches and a round of 16 game at the Aviva Stadium, a huge incentive for the team and management.
The Finance Department will also be looking at the newly raised dividend of €9.25 million which UEFA revealed in Cork on Saturday as being the minimum reward for each of the 24 teams who qualify for the finals.
Saturday’s AGM was also the culmination of the 12th annual Festival of Football with visits to 43 clubs across Cork and over €1 million in local funding distributed around the county.
It was announced that registrations for Volunteering at UEFA EURO 2020 and the 2019 UEFA Under-17 Championships has opened, with the Association looking to have the public become involved in both major events taking place here over the next 22 months.
Interested participants can sign up at http://www.fai.ie/domestic/volunteers
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Image Credit: Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile
