FAI CEO Jonathan Hill said the association has reduced its overall debt by almost €20m as he laid out long-term plans to significantly improve investment in the game at all levels.
Hill began his tenure as chief exective in November 2020 with the FAI in turmoil. He became the FAI's first permanent CEO since April 2019 when John Delaney voluntarily stepped aside following revelations of a €100,000 loan he gave to the association.
In January 2020, a €30m rescue package including government loans and grants of €20m, a UEFA contribution and the restructuring of bank debt was agreed to save the FAI from potential liquidation.
On Thursday Hill said "what happened prior to 2019 will never happen again" as he spoke to the media following the publication of the Facilities and Infrastructure Vision and Strategy document, in which the organisation says it requires €863m to overhaul facilities at all levels of the game in Ireland.
The proposed basis of funding would be the FAI increasing its own incomes, FIFA, UEFA, and from the state.
"Will we get the money? That's the reason why we've put the plan together, the vision together and the strategy," Hill said.
"We've started discussions already with the Department of Sport and with Sport Ireland.
"I do believe that the FAI is in a very different place than it was two years ago."
"They have been very positive. They are supportive of any proposal that brings that wider debate of funding of sport to the table.
"We believe we've got a strong case for Irish football and for facility transformation and I think it's my role as CEO to put that case forward.
"I do believe that the FAI is in a very different place than it was two years ago.
"We're coming to the end of a period whereby the memorandum of understanding we signed with the government that led to that very necessary and much appreciated investement back in 2019/2020 is coming to an end.
"As part of that, there were 163 governance and fincance recommendations that we were asked to brign into the association. By the end of 2023 we will have achieved all of those recommendations.
"What happened prior to 2019 will never happen again.
"We've reduced our debt down to €44m which is a significant jump down from the €63.5m that I inherited when we came in."
Roy Barrett, the FAI chairperson, said they "took the emotion out of" their analysis and focused on a chronic under-investment in the sport that could lead to "all sorts of problems" unless addressed.
The €863m sought is over a 15-year period, focusing on grassroots [€426m], the League of Ireland [€390m] and the international game [€47m].
"Any government funding for anything, put particularly sport, is always kind of going to be emoitonal," Barrett said.
"People are going to have an emotional view, whatever sport they're from. What we've sought to do, and the team have sought to do over the last 18 months since we've been putting this document together... is really take that emotion out of it.
"We have a sport which has been chronically under-invested for a long period of time.
"If that under-investment continues we're going to have all sorts of problemes given the growth in the sport, the relative size of the sport, and the demographics - the change in the demographics - would indicate that the demand for football, and football faciltites is just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger.
"Against that backdrop are we confident that we will get funding? We're certainly confident that we should get funding."
