- Dan Lucey
- Tue, Oct 25 2022
In early 2015 Mick Leahy participated at a FIFPRO tournament in Norway with a PFAI side predominantly made up of footballers seeking their next playing contract. Seven years on he’s now employed by FIFPRO, based in Amsterdam, and deals on a daily basis with today’s players.
During the young central defender’s senior debut season, he contributed to UCD winning the 2009 First Division by a single point over Shelbourne.
“It was an excellent introduction to the league for myself and plenty of others. Aside from one or two players, the majority of the squad were all in their early 20s and had progressed through from the A-League team over the previous season or two, so we were already familiar with playing together.
“It was a very competitive First Division that season too, with Shels and Sporting Fingal both strong and full of Premier Division experience, so we did really well to win it. Andy Boyle and myself started together at centre-back for the first few games due to a couple of injuries and performed well. Neither of us were first choice, but football moves fast and you take your chance whenever it comes.”
Staying at Belfield until the end of 2013, the Dubliner seeking a new challenge, signed his first full-time contract, with Limerick, but ongoing injuries resulted in limited appearances.
“At the time, Limerick was an interesting club to be at. I enjoyed living there for the year and it was sad to see what happened to the club in the years after.
"One positive from those injury-plagued periods was that I learned how to take care of my body properly and what I needed to prepare every week, in terms of strength work and flexibility. This helped in the seasons after, meaning I missed very few games through injury over the following four seasons.”
Subsequent to a frustrating stint in Munster came the aforementioned FIFPRO tournament in Norway, which in a way led to eventual employment with the organisers instead of a more immediate offer from a Scandinavian club.
“That tournament in Oslo was probably my first interaction with FIFPRO and seeing some of the work they do for players around the world. My main reason for taking part in it was to prove my fitness to clubs back at home and give me a solid base heading into 2015. Exploring options to play abroad was always something that interested me, which I looked into further a few years later. It’s a pity for players in the league that the tournament is no longer running.”
A return to UCD and part-time football in the First Division ensued, but also the time and placing for studying to become a solicitor.
“On the back of that Oslo tournament, I was approached by a couple of clubs, but decided that re-joining UCD for the season suited me best. It allowed me to begin some law exams on the side, back in Dublin, while continuing to train effectively full-time and getting the opportunity to play in Europe.
"Despite being relegated, UCD had qualified for the Europa League that summer and I was keen to be a part of that, having not played in Europe before. I knew that if I had a good season, stayed fit and played well in Europe, I would have options for the following year, which worked out and I then moved to Sligo Rovers in 2016 for the next couple of years.”
After Sligo, Mick reappeared in Dublin, linking up with St Patrick’s Athletic, where he had an extraordinary debut. In a League Cup tie against Dundalk, the defender scored two goals, an own goal and then converted in the penalty shootout, only to still end up on the losing side.
“That was an interesting night ... 4-4 if I remember right. I enjoyed playing at Richmond Park ... It has that old-school stadium feel, full of history. That night, I remember marking Georgie Kelly for the first time. I played with him in the UCD Super League with friends on the occasional off-season Saturday morning and heard good things about him from people, but hadn’t come up against him yet and he was a handful.”
Since retiring from senior football, Leahy has lived abroad and still retains close links with the game through his current position.
“I played with a semi-pro team in Sydney after moving there in 2019. They helped to connect me with a couple of work roles that I was interested in and that allowed me to build my professional experience. I then returned home and moved to Amsterdam in late 2020, to join the Global Policy & Strategic Relations team at FIFPRO.
"It’s an interesting role that enables me to apply my academic background in Economics, Politics and Law to the football industry, as we assist our member unions across the world and negotiate with industry stakeholders such as FIFA, UEFA and the leagues on various issues which affect professional players.
"Playing in the league for a decade allowed me to see first-hand much of the important work that a player union like the PFAI does for players, which isn’t always obvious from the outside. Besides work, I enjoy keeping fit and occasionally play with a local Sunday league team in Amsterdam.
"As for the League of Ireland ... These days it’s limited to texting Paul Corry or Conan Byrne with fashion advice when I see them wearing typically dodgy shirts while doing TV analysis.”
