League of Ireland launches new gambling awareness programme for players

A new gambling awareness and betting integrity programme is being introduced by the League of Ireland for football players, coaches, match officials, and staff in the domestic game.

EPIC Global Solutions, a consultancy that currently works with numerous significant sports organisations worldwide, will conduct the sessions, which will begin later this month.

The National League Committee, the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland (PFA Ireland), and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) all support the initiative.

Marc Williams, Scott Davies, and Dominic Matteo, a former Premier League and Scotland International, are among the ex-professional players who will be leading the in-person sessions. Each will bring their own experiences of gambling harm to the table.

As part of the project, EPIC will also provide UEFA-standard betting integrity training in accordance with FAI regulations.

Flutter provides funding for the initiative. In 2017, EPIC, in collaboration with Sky Bet and the English Football League, launched what was dubbed the world’s first gambling harm prevention programme in professional football.

Over the course of eight years, that initiative has attracted over 10,200 participants, making it the largest programme of its kind in European sport.

Over 2,000 people will participate in the new rollout in Ireland, which will include 70 workshops annually for 32 senior League of Ireland teams (20 men’s and 12 women’s), 26 academy teams, and 10 Women’s Development League teams, in addition to one session for League of Ireland match officials and one for FAI staff.

League of Ireland director Mark Scanlon commented: “As the League of Ireland grows each year, it is very important to work with all stakeholders including our players and match officials at the centre of the game to stress the importance of integrity at all levels.”

Meanwhile, Paul Buck, CEO of EPIC, added:: “Following the success of similar initiatives we’ve delivered in elite sport, this prevention-based program looks to empower players to recognise the signs of gambling harm, be more informed about their relationship with betting and better equipped to understand pathways to support.