FAI Chief Executive John Delaney travelled to England today for the official announcement by the Minister and said he was delighted at the decision.
"The Minister, like his predecessor, has been very supportive of this proposal which will see a welfare officer based in Britain to provide assistance to Irish footballers living there. Having a person on the ground will enable us to deal with issues very quickly and we hope to have somebody in place by the start of next season," said Delaney.
The FAI's Football Support Services Manager, Eoin Hard, also welcomed the announcement.
"I know from my own experience that having somebody based in Britain will be extremely beneficial to the many young players at English, Scottish and Welsh clubs and it is important that they and their parents know that there will be a person they can call on if there is a problem," said Hand.