'We'll lose players to GAA' - Kevin Doyle's fears over proposed calendar-year schedule for underage soccer

Former Republic of Ireland international Kevin Doyle sounded a warning about the planned move to a calendar year underage schedule, saying that rural clubs would lose players to the GAA in the summer.

FAI Director of Football Marc Canham unveiled the long promised Football Pathways Plan at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday, which contained among its headline proposals that all underage football be aligned to a calendar-year schedule.

In the document, the FAI recommended that leagues up to U14 level be run off from February to June, with blitzes, football camps and mini leagues to take place afterwards. From U15 onwards, leagues would align with the regular League of Ireland season.

The document revealed that 65% of those surveyed at grassroots level favoured a switch to a calendar schedule, but Doyle - who is chairman of a youth club in his native Wexford - foresaw obvious problems in areas where football is competing with Gaelic games.

"I'm involved day-to-day with my kids in Wexford at underage football. The first thing I look for is what we're going to get out of it," Doyle said ahead of RTÉ Champions League coverage on Tuesday.

'We will lose players' - Kevin Doyle is concerned about the proposal to change to a calendar year schedule outlined in the Football Pathways Plan #rtesoccer pic.twitter.com/UwuKQSL1l2

"Unfortunately, the first thing I see is a problem. Talking about aligning the seasons. It was summer soccer a few years ago. I think they've rebranded it now to the calendar year.

"Just in country clubs, in Wexford, in clubs like our own, we have a fabulous amount of players. I think we have the most (players) in any club in the county.

"But they all also play GAA in the summer. So this whole document is about getting more