Full coverage: FAI

An extraordinary hysteria accompanied Ireland to their World Cup play-off in Prague. Dion Fanning wonders what this longing tells us about the country and, after another defeat, will it help on the long road back for Irish football?

It turns out Irish football could still make the whole country feel alive — all it needed was Troy Parrott in Budapest to remind us. This is the story of how that feeling slipped away, and why its comeback hits so hard.

Ireland’s shock win over Portugal offered more than a route to World Cup qualification — it delivered a rare, cathartic night when belief returned, however briefly, to a team and its long-suffering supporters.

Ireland have a nondescript manager, with a team that plays non football and yet many still cling to the idea that good times might be just around the corner.

Will Clarke is one of the FAI’s shining lights. He is campaigning to transform how Irish football develops young players. He speaks about why the FAI isn’t looking for a handout but seed capital.

On paper it was a simple idea — let children play in better weather. In practice it collided with the complexities of Irish football’s structures, cultures and contradictions.

Ireland lost 5-0 at Wembley because of a series of bad decisions taken nearly 20 years ago and compounded ever since. The only way to change is to understand the fundamental flaws in the game and work to change them. It is the only way to restore power to the powerless that dominate Irish football.

Once labelled the “difficult child” of Irish football, the League of Ireland is now attracting record crowds and huge interest. Drawing on numerous interviews with decision-makers, owners, and managers, this is the story of how domestic football was rehabilitated.

Less than a decade ago, Dundalk FC became only the second Irish team to qualify for group-level combat in European football. Last week, after failing to secure investment, its owner confirmed it was experiencing financial difficulty. What went wrong?

Sport Ireland CEO Una May talks about increasing participation, developing the national sports campus, and the thorny issue of governance.