UCD's loss a national one

There are countless ways in which the tragic loss of Dr Tony O'Neill will be felt within the game of football here over the years to come. Out at Belfield Park his absence will be particularly difficult to bear but the fact is "the Doc" was probably the most universally respected figure on a scene plagued by internal dogfighting and factionalism.

On the domestic front Dr O'Neill was the tireless voice of common sense.

His achievements over the years with UCD gave him a credibility that few at any level of the game could rival and during his time as general secretary of the FAI as well as president of the National League he made significant contributions to the evolution of the two organisations.

Internationally his abilities were widely recognised too and through his involvement with several key UEFA committees in recent years he had access to some of the key players in the decision-making processes that will shape the future development of the game.

Last week there was another example of how peripheral Ireland and countries like it have become those processes. The comments by FIFA general secretary Michel ZenRuffinen concerning the governing body's possible intervention in the new year to scrap the current transfer system showed once again just how little real concern there is for anybody operating outside of what are seen as the key club and international competitions.

The fact that the remarks seem calculated to stir up further trouble with UEFA serves only to highlight the fact that when the two most powerful bodies in the game become embroiled in a feud then it doesn't matter who gets hurt. The proposals as they stand (that fees would be based on the wages outstanding on a player's contract at a club) would surely have a devastating effect on clubs currently in the business of regularly providing players to leagues like the English premiership and would undermine the attempts by senior clubs here, for instance, to invest in schools of excellence or other such schemes on the basis that somewhere down the line the investment may be recouped by way of player sales.

Few would have been in a better position that Dr O'Neill to tell football's senior bureaucrats about the realities of working to bring through young talent. At UCD he was a driving force behind a development programme based on university scholarships that has been emulated at third level colleges throughout the country.

Despite the club's success in achieving premier division status and maintaining it with an entirely home-grown team, Dr O'Neill was critical of the way his club contributed to a player's development was often inadequately rewarded when those players moved on. Players like Packie Lynch, Tony McCarthy and Terry Palmer all look to be in the reckoning for championship medals this season. Dr O'Neill was always a powerful advocate of his club's interests but possessed an unfailing ability to see the bigger picture too.

When the men behind Wimbledon football club attempted to threaten, cajole and bluff their way into Dublin he would become worked up at the suggestion that a club like UCD, with tiny crowds and a modest ground, could do worse than take the considerable inducements said to be on offer to those clubs that broke ranks and supported the relocation. For him the suggestion was ridiculous. The move would be bad for Irish football and UCD's fortunes was inextricably linked to those of the senior game here.

The fortunes of the senior game could safely be said to be linked with those of Dr O'Neill too. His enthusiasm for, as well as his belief in the potential of the National League, was obvious for all to see but then he wasn't afraid to point out its shortcomings or to put forward radical proposals for its improvement either - he was for instance, a consistent advocate of giving summer football a try.

With his help the league here has come a long way over the past couple of decades. There remains a great deal of progress to be made and without the Doc the road will be that bit harder to negotiate.