Demands for greater State investment in the development of Irish football, were made at the annual general meeting of the Football Association of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

Stating that the funding they had received from Government, was grossly disproportionate to the role the game played in the recreational life of the country, Pat Quigley, the FAI president, called for the situation to be redressed.

"Ours is now the biggest participant sport in the country but it's not reflected in the monies we receive from National Lottery funds," he said.

"In 11 of the 26 counties, our game received no funding at all - and that is unacceptable. Even in Dublin, football received just £150,000 or 121/2 per cent of a total allocation of £1.1 million. That is unfair and the situation should be corrected urgently."

Bernard O'Byrne of the FAI said that plans for the construction of a new greenfields stadium, would be placed before the next sitting of the Senior Council.