This must be celebrated.. and capitalised upon too

EVEN with a bit of time to digest the achievement of two Irish clubs reaching the league phase, I still find it surreal.

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I came from an era when Europe was often a piss up for players. It wasn't unusual for lads to sink cans in a hotel room the night before a game.

But then Irish football went through a transformation when the financial rewards on offer in Europe became more and more apparent.

An awful lot has happened in the last 20 years.

We've had some great success in Europe but also experienced disappointment across faltering years and taken some backward steps. Yet all of a sudden, we have two clubs contesting the league phase. It's a first in our history and something that must be celebrated and capitalised on.

It could have a profound effect on Irish football and should be a huge stepping stone for the stakeholders in the game to stand up and take control.