The Football Association of Ireland today (Thursday, November 5), introduced new regulations relating to the operation of scouts and players going outside the jurisdiction on trial.
The Rules Relating To Scouts & Players Visiting Senior Clubs and Going On Trials will come into force on January 1, 2010.
Among their provisions are requirements that:
• All Scouts attached to clubs not under the jurisdiction of the Football Association of Ireland must be registered with the FAI to operate in the Republic of Ireland.
• All clubs not under FAI jurisdiction will be required to submit the official Request For Trial Form to the secretary of the club which holds the registration of the player they wish to take on trial or the club he was last registered with.
• After completing their part of the form, the club secretary will forward it to their Affiliated League who shall have the power to grant or decline permission for the trial.
• Permission to leave the jurisdiction to go on trial will not be granted to any player who has not reached 14 years of age.
The FAI Scouting Registration Form, FAI Request for Trial Form, FAI Rules Relating To Scouts & Players Visiting Senior Clubs And Going On Trials and FAI Advice for Parents/Guardians About Trial Requests & Scouts can all be viewed and downloaded from the Football Services & Education section of the FAI website (www.fai.ie)
Speaking at today's launch in FAI Headquarters, Chief Executive John Delaney said:
"These Rules will come into force on January 1 and I would urge every scout in Ireland, who represents a club from outside the jurisdiction of the FAI, to get registered before then and to operate within these regulations. They, and the clubs they represent, will benefit from the structure now in place as will the players, their families, schools, clubs and leagues. These regulations will be reviewed on an on-going basis and submissions can be made at any time to playerwelfare@fai.ie This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it "