The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has apologised to female former international players, and trainees on a FAS soccer training course, who experienced alleged unwanted or inappropriate sexual advances from FAI coaches in the 1990s.
"We are sorry for what you had to endure, we're sorry that anyone could have ever felt unsafe," Interim CEO David Courell told reporters at a press conference at FAI headquarters this morning.
"We are sorry that the modern practises and reporting structures that we now have in place were not there for you when you needed them. And we're sorry that anyone could have ever felt unsafe in Irish football."
He said he was speaking to directly address issues and individuals featured in a major joint investigation from RTÉ Investigates and the Sunday Independent yesterday.
"I'm truly sorry that anyone involved in Irish football would ever feel unsafe..." FAI People & Culture Director Aoife Rafferty said.
Watch: RTÉ Investigates: 'Girls in Green' on the RTÉ Player
In response to questions about the stories covered in the reporting, Mr Courell said "the reality is learnings like this, experiences like this bring greater emphasis on the need for safeguarding structures to be as strong as possible."
"We need to redouble our efforts and make sure that an awareness of existing safeguarding protocols are fully understood, fully respected, and that people feel and know that they have somewhere to go to if they have an issue," he added.
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Asked about policies on relationships between players and coaches, Mr Courell said a 2013 employee handbook expressly prohibits "amorous" relationships between an FAI staff coach and player or a student.
However, he confirmed that the policies do not extend to clubs.
"We have been very clear with all of our clubs that best practice is for no relationships to take place. We have communicated that to them, and it is at this stage for each club to apply that locally based on the declaration of any relationship," he said.
In response to a question about whether clubs are obliged to report any such declarations to the FAI, Ms Rafferty said "no, they don't have to. So what we're actually going to do over the coming months is to go out and create safeguarding and education awareness campaigns."
"And as part of all of that, we will have direct conversations with all of those involved in a position of authority to educate them on appropriate relationships."
The joint investigation
The investigative reporting from Marie Crowe of RTE and Mark Tighe of the Sunday Independent revealed allegations from trainees against the former head coach of the FAS training course, Eamonn Collins.
Then 21-years-old, Bridget McDonald, who is gay, said a night out drinking with Mr Collins ended in sexual intercourse with the coach, who warned her that she could be pregnant.
Lynn Winters, another former trainee, said Mr Collins made her captain of the trainees' team and took her on dates.
"He would put his hands down my shorts or touch my breasts or in passing, making a joke out of it," Ms Winters said. "I touched his penis and kissed him and I... Yeah, that was it."
Another former trainee, named in the reporting as 'Adele’ said Mr Collins asked her to clean up training equipment in a changing room. When others had left, Collins returned to the changing room.
"He walked towards me and he started to kiss me and before I knew it, I was pinned up against the shower wall and he was kissing me."
"He took my hand and he put it down his trousers and he was wanting me to please him, and obviously I wasn't doing the correct job, or whatever."
Adele says she "froze stiff" and Collins "ended up doing it himself."
The investigation put these allegations to Mr Collins. A statement released through his solicitor said: "Eamonn Collins emphatically and unreservedly denies any improper relationship or conduct."
Former international players who played in the 1990s raised separate allegations against then-manager, Mick Cooke.
Among them was Jackie McCarthy-O'Brien who said Mr Cooke asked her to come to his hotel room in the team hotel. There, she said Cooke asked her to sit on his bed and they began talking about football.
"And then the next thing," she said "it's like he's leaning over and grabbing you by the shoulders to kiss you and kisses you on the lips. And I'm like, gobsmacked. Gobsmacked."
"How do I get out of here? What do I do?" she says she was thinking.
"Do I give him a kick? Do I give him a slap? Oh, there's the end of your career -- it's kind of a life flashing before you in a few seconds and you just go numb."
A legal letter issued by Mr Cooke’s solicitors said "all of the allegations in your letter of the 24th of June are denied."
"People we have spoken to expressed shock at the allegations..." the letter from Mr Cooke’s solicitor said.
"They were of the view that the atmosphere around the international team during Mr Cooke’s tenure as manager was excellent, he fostered a great team spirit and many of the players often expressed the view it was the time of their lives."
FAI Interim CEO David Courell said "the board and the executive of the FAI are deeply shocked and appalled by these revelations. I can assure you that providing a safe environment for all involved in Irish football is our paramount consideration."
