John Mahon believes that Sligo Rovers’ ambitious stadium and academy plans can inspire a new generation in the north-west.
The defender, 21, is himself a product of the Bit O’Red academy having made his first-team debut at 17 before becoming a regular at 18.
And others like Johnny Kenny, Mark Byrne and Ed McGinty also emerged from the underage grades before establishing themselves in the senior squad.
But after the club revealed proposals for a €17 million Showgrounds redevelopment and off-site academy, Mahon believes the sky's the limit on Rovers’ potential.
“With top class facilities we could attract even more kids from the area and that will only stand to the first-team,” he told Mirror Sport.
“When I was a kid, my Dad brought me to all the games and I was in the Aviva for the Sligo Rovers cup finals.
“I saw them in the good days of winning leagues and cups, so it’s surreal playing for them.
“I remember finishing school on a Friday and my whole focus for the weekend was looking forward to the game on a Saturday.
“I even had a few birthday parties in the Showgrounds, but now I'm the one getting ready to play games there."
Mahon continued: “I was in a shop this week and saw this young fella - a Sligo Rovers fan - looking at me and he eventually came over and said 'Hi John'.
“I was exactly the same at his age, when I saw the Rovers players. Lads like Richard Brush and Gavin Peers came to our school to parade the FAI Cup.
“Now I’m lucky enough to be training and playing with Richard every day for Sligo Rovers. I love reminding him about it as it makes him feel old!
“Some of the kids that I’m meeting around Sligo at the moment could end up sharing a dressing room with myself and the lads in a few years.”
The ramifications of Brexit mean that fewer Irish youngsters will be leaving for clubs in the UK until they turn 18.
And the onus is on the FAI and League of Ireland clubs to pull out the stops and keep teenagers in Ireland.
Mahon said: “I remember when I was 14 or 15 and I was looking to go to England, but Sligo Rovers's academy came into play and I joined that - and I'm happy I did.
“There’s a huge amount of young lads who went over but came back and are nearly out of football. I'd like to play here for another year or two and see how it goes.
“You look at Seamus Coleman staying here with Sligo Rovers until he was a bit older and more experienced before going on to have the career he’s had.
“He got the rewards of being patient and the more we can do to improve all aspects of League of Ireland clubs at this key time the better the footballers will become.”
Tonight, Rovers host Longford Town having got back to winning ways in Dundalk after banking just two points from their previous nine.
Mahon added: “There’s a good vibe around the place and from walking around town, you can see the fans get a lift when we're winning. It’s pushing us on to win more.”
