Duff make DDSL move

CORDUFF announced they will play their schoolboy underage football under the auspices of the DDSL from season 2018 onward.
Boasting 27 schoolboy teams on top of their five adult squads and nursery academy for the youngest of players, the club has been punching above its weight in recent years and, in a statement released on Tuesday, feel their future belongs in the DDSL which is now located in Dublin 15 at nearby Abbottsown.
In the statement, the club say: “The move will be regarded by some as a risk while most will regard it as the correct move and a shrewd move at a time when the club has so many players on its books.
“Corduff not only feel this is a fantastic move for over 425 schoolboy players but feel this is an opportunity for potential coaches to come on board ahead of 2018 as the club has a number of new, exciting teams coming off the nursery academy conveyor belt.
“The club wants coaches who want to work with superb players and who want to achieve their coaching badges and the club will assist any coaches who wish to learn more from the FAI.”
It means away from the North Dublin Schoolboy Leagues to the Dublin and District equivalent, a league that draws its teams from a much wider base and is a regular contender when it comes to representative competitions such as the Kennedy Cup.
The move comes at a time when the landscape of schoolboy football is rapidly changing with the League of Ireland launching Under-15 and 17 leagues with an Under-13 version soon coming on stream.
With that in mind, there has become extra pull factors to see players move from their local clubs to League of Ireland sides at an ever-earlier age. This move from Corduff will potentially alleviate some of those pull factors.
“With the significant dilution of schoolboy football in mind due to the prominence of League of Ireland underage football, Corduff’s place with the rest in the DDSL means the timing of the move is perfect for all concerned and will allow them to progress faster than any club ordinarily could at any other time.”
The club has also committed to keep its fees the same at €5 per week during the active season for Under-8s to Under-12s and under 13s upward will be asked for €185 for the 2018 season and nothing more and will give two months to parents to commit to that in 2018.
“Fees are a significant barrier to playing soccer and the club feel that setting out a reasonable fee breakdown publicly has had a significant impact on the clubs progress in recent years.
“Many clubs prefer to keep their fees in-house as much as they can and for good reason – the fees are usually more than double what Corduff FC ask for and this causes a great burden on parents of young players.”