‘Football Families' review: Country's rising stars find out the beautiful game can also be a brutal game

Irish Independent

2 days ago

Namely, that among young men and boys, association football – or soccer, if you prefer, since either term will do – is by a considerable margin the most-played team sport at all levels in Ireland.
There's definitely a really good documentary waiting to be made about how the historic force-feeding of Gaelic games in rural schools, fuelled by a hatred of 'the foreign game', stunted the development of football in this country, siphoning off countless talented young footballers who might have gone on to great professional careers.
The FAI's legendary inadequacy hasn't helped.
We're likely to be waiting some time for that documentary to materialise. In the meantime, we have the immensely watchable Football Families (RTÉ One, Thursday, July 31), which, rather than looking back at what might have been, offers a glimpse of the future.
The one thing going against him is size – he's a small lad, dwarfed by bigger, physically stronger players
The three-part series, filmed during Shelbourne's successful 2024 season under manager Damien Duff, which saw them win their first League of Ireland title since 2006, looks at some of the teenagers, girls (next week) as well as boys, hoping to make the grade as professionals at the club and the support they receive from their families.
The dream, says Duff, whose shock decision to leave was then far in the distance, was to have five or six kids from Shelbourne's academy as first-team regulars. But the beautiful game can also be a brutal game. Only a handful of them will make the cut.
One of several boys in the running is 15-year-old Cillian O'Sullivan. The manager was impressed when he noticed Cillian putting in extra training alone, honing his skills. The kid eats, sleeps, drinks and breathes football.
He takes a football everywhere with him, says his mother, even to the cinema. Cillian has plenty of technical ability – including a great first touch – and agility, and was a standout player for Shels' Under-15 side. The one thing going against him is size – he's a small lad, dwarfed by bigger, physically stronger players.
Then again, many great footballers have been short in stature, including a certain John Giles.
The next challenge for Cillian is to make the cut for the Under-17s. If he doesn't, he'll be dropped, which would be a blow. For some youngsters, this can be the point at which their career dreams are in danger of dissolving.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tallaght lad Jayden Marshall, who plays centre-back for Shels' Under-15s, is a natural who ticks all the boxes. He's been through a lot, says his dad Richie, who got him into football to keep him off the streets in an area woefully lacking in resources for young people.
The family home burned down and all Jayden's medals and trophies were badly damaged. His dad is ecstatic when Jayden is selected for the Ireland Under-15 side.
Five young Shels players, including Jayden's best friend Max, had international trials, but he was the only one to make the cut.
The reality is that only three to six per cent will win an Under-15 cap
The reality is that only three to six per cent will win an Under-15 cap. But as Shelbourne Academy director Colm Barron points out, Under-15 is not the be all and end all of everything. There are more opportunities at Under-19 and Under-21 level.
Someone who already seems well on his way is Shels' Under-17 keeper Ali Topcu, who Duff made the reserve team's keeper. He's already on the radar of some English clubs.
The same goes for 17-year-old striker Dan Ring, who the manager picked as a first-team substitute for a game against St Patrick's Athletic.
Making it as a footballer is tough, but it's made tougher, says Barron, by the fact that the academy system in Ireland lags way behind the rest of Europe. Some things never seem to change.
Rating: Three stars