The Republic will face Australia on Wednesday, August 12 and South Africa on Tuesday, September 8.
Although FAI CEO John Delaney had announced that schoolboy tickets would be made available at a cost of €7 for both those games Limerick clubs had feared that the national association would not honour that commitment.
The controversy erupted when the FAI circulated ticket order forms to the schoolboy leagues which made no reference to a provision for schoolboy applications in April - the prices quoted on that order form for both international friendlies were: €55 (stand), €35 (terrace) and €25 (terrace).
Speaking to Leader Sport the FAI's Director of Communications Peter Sherard described the suggestion that schoolboy tickets would not be made available for both games at Thomond Park as "nonsense".
Indeed Sherard insists that the FAI had budgeted for 2,000 schoolboy tickets in February and that each schoolboy league will be given an opportunity, six or seven weeks before the games, to apply for schoolboy tickets.
"Six of seven weeks before the games in Thomond Park," Peter Sherard explained, "application forms will be forwarded to the schoolboy league secretaries.
"Two thousand tickets are available and always have been available for the games.
"Both games will be tremendous occasions and are something everyone in Limerick should be looking forward to."
Although the secretary of the District Schoolboy League, Gerry McCormack, has welcomed Peter Sherard's comments on the matter he remains annoyed by the manner in which the schoolboy ticket allocation has been handled by the FAI.
"They are saying now that there are and always have been schoolboy tickets available for both international matches at Thomond Park," Gerry McCormack told Leader Sport, "but if that's the case why are the ticket office saying there are no schoolboy tickets available?
"If that is the case why did the FAI send out order forms to the schoolboy leagues which made no reference at all to schoolboy tickets?"
On receipt on an order form for tickets in April, an order form which had to be completed and returned to the FAI by the end of April, Gerry McCormack contacted the FAI ticket office to enquire about the availability of schoolboy tickets.
The individual Gerry McCormack spoke to said that no schoolboy tickets would go on sale for the clashes with Australia and South Africa in Thomond Park.
"After an article appeared in a national paper (the Irish Mail highlighted the issue)," added Mr. McCormack, "I was contacted by an FAI official about the matter.
"He insisted that there would be 2,000 tickets available and that those tickets were always available for the games in Thomond Park, but when I asked him when those tickets would be available and how we apply for them he wasn't able to answer me. The FAI only reacted when something appeared in the national press. Several clubs have been in contact with me and to say they are disappointed with the situation would be an understatement. I phoned the ticket office myself and they said there were no tickets available. The FAI say that was a mistake, but they must correct that mistake."
It is hoped that the confusion surrounding this issue will be cleared up as soon as possible. The provision of schoolboy tickets for international games has been a long-standing tradition associated with Irish soccer while two high profile international friendlies in Thomond Park provide administrators of the game in Limerick with an opportunity to promote the game in the mid-west.
Although the FAI had discussed basing their preparations for both games at UL the team will train at St. Michael's FC (Tipperary Town) and stay at the Ballykisteen Hotel & Golf Resort.
More event information will be made available closer to the match dates on both fai.ie and thomondpark.ie.
Brian McDonnell
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