Cherry Orchard benefits from Nathan’s transfers

CHERRY Orchard’s recent development of club facilities can be traced back to players being moulded in the club over a decade ago with current Ireland captain Nathan Collins providing the bulk of the funds that the club has enjoyed thanks to his various transfers in recent years across the premier league.

Following in all of his family’s footsteps a young Nathan Collins played in Cherry Orchard from the age of six to 16 when he joined English team Stoke City.

Collins has since made various moves across clubs in England to Burnley, Wolves and Brentford and has twice held the record for most expensive transfer fee of an Irish player, breaking his own record in the process.

While thanks to shrewd negotiating, Cherry Orchard secured a sell-on clause with Stoke City after Collins initially made the switch across to the UK however, thanks to a little known component that makes up transfers, they have continued to earn a sizable element from all of his subsequent moves.

This is due to something known as ‘solidarity payments’.

What this in simple terms is FIFA taking a small portion of a transfer fee, typically 5 per cent, and splitting this fee with all of the teams where a player was registered up until the age of 23.

This was along with ‘training compensation’ fees which are bonuses that grassroots clubs often avail of when players transfer between clubs before the age of 23.

As Nathan Collins has made several high profile moves in the UK worth a combined total of €65 million, Cherry Orchard have benefitted hugely from his career.

Club Chairman Stephen O’Brien commented on the impact scenarios like this had on grassroots clubs.

“For a club like Cherry Orchard, when the likes of Nathan Collins move, it’s like winning the lottery. It’s very much once in a lifetime for us.”

The lottery comparison is apt, but so is the phrase ‘once in a lifetime’ as it is unlikely that any other Irish grassroots team in future will benefit from such a career, Cherry Orchard included.

With the establishment of League of Ireland academies over the last ten years or so the likes of Cherry Orchard and other grassroots clubs are no longer seen as the highest level of Irish underage football, elite talent from these sides are swept up into League of Ireland teams academies at the age of 12 or 13.

O’Brien provides an example.

“Our U13 Premier team last season won the blue ribbon event, they won the DDSL league and the FAI All Ireland U13.

‘They were the best team in the country under 13. Six of them have gone to St Pat’s, who are our partner club.

‘We partner with Pat’s. Two went to Bohs, two went to UCD and one has gone to Bray. When they hit 13 all the quick developers go to the League of Ireland.”

Cherry Orchard will still receive a significant level of fee for players that they develop from schoolboy to League of Ireland academy level that go on to have professional careers home and abroad, but not developing the players until the age of 16 or 17 means that they will never benefit like they have with Nathan Collins.

Collins is not the only one that has helped finance the club thanks to his moves abroad. Sinclair Armstrong, currently with Bristol City, switched from QPR for just under €3 million.

Cherry Orchard will see a percentage of that sum thanks to Armstrong spending a few years there in his youth.

Chairman Stephen O’Brien spoke on the various developments the club has been able to pursue because of Nathan.

“It’s just so heartening that one of our own has done so well and the solidarity contributions as well as the percentage of the fees have allowed us to totally upgrade our clubhouse.

‘We have a ‘Nathan Collins Room’ now where kids can play pool and foosball or do video analysis.

‘We have a Jessie Stapleton room where kids can study after school, we have a merchandise shop, a food shop, outdoor eating areas. That all comes from the money Nathan generated 100 per cent.”

“I’d also like to mention that the government are awesome, they are phenomenal.

‘The sports capital grant system, we would be lost without it.

‘Before we got the Nathan money we got the guts of €600,000 to put an astro in, we also had to self-fund a part as well.

‘Before that, 11 years ago we got a clubhouse built for half a million.

‘With the Nathan money we’ve just added to what we’ve got from the government.

‘Now we’re providing football for over 480 children. The Nathan money came along when we already had a brilliant facility but what we’ve been able to do is make it even better.”

Nathan Collins is currently being linked with a move to Premier League winners Liverpool by many papers in the English media.

Now 24 years old, Cherry Orchard won’t avail of any more money from Collins transfers throughout his career but safe to say they have made the most of what they have already received, totally revitalising the club and transforming the entire facility for the benefit of all its members.