Irish League sustainability the key for former star as investment continues to flood in

Gareth McAuley says it’s important clubs think of the future as investors continue to back Irish League clubs

As clubs in the Irish Premiership continue to be an attractive proposition for outside investors, one former Irish League star has urged a note of caution.

Gareth McAuley won the Irish Cup with Coleraine back in 2003 before going to have a stellar career in England.

When he left the Bannsiders for Lincoln City they were in the midst of some severe financial problems which threatened the club’s very existence.

The Showgrounds outfit survived and are now riding the crest of a wave after major investment from majority shareholder Henry Ross.

Other clubs have also received financial backing in recent years with the prospect of more to come, but the former Northern Ireland international McAuley says clubs need to be sustainable as well.

“I think the League is in a bit of a transition stage at the minute when I look at it, there’s nearly different levels,” he said.

“It’s two-tier really, a league within a league, but the part-time clubs are still competitive in different things.

“Everybody’s obviously chasing the European spots and the pot of gold at the end of that.

“There are investors coming in now and talking to a few people. They come in and they do all this analytic stuff. And they’re going, well, ‘if we spend X amount, we could get this amount in return’.

“It’s like a business to them. So where that goes and what happens with that there, I don’t know. But I’d like to see them certainly being sustainable. I think that’s important.”

In his role as Northern Ireland Under-19 boss McAuley is keen for young players to get the opportunity to shine here.

He officially opened the 2025 Budget Energy SuperCupNI on Sunday evening and it brought back memories of his own participation in the tournament back in 1994.

“A lot of things came flooding back when I started to think about it again,” said McAuley.

“Obviously 1994 was a few years ago now, but I still remember the boys that I played with in the team and I’m still in contact with quite a few of them.

The biggest thing for me as a young player was, you’re away from home, you’re out of your comfort zone, you’re playing in front of a crowd, probably for the first time, and you’re playing in front of your peers and different teams.

“It’s also the first time probably playing under a bit of pressure and stuff. So all those things sort of came flowing back when I started to dig into it,” he said.

“In that development part of their life, not even in football, in their lives being away from their parents and being given that bit of freedom and stuff, and to stand on their own two feet and be with their peers.

“Just being out of your comfort zone, it’s great. We mollycoddle our kids now and really shelter them from things.

“It’s an experience for all the boys and girls to come and play in an environment with a growing reputation throughout the world now.”