“But he doesn’t need that qualification (for his role with Ireland); it’s the senior manager who has to have a pro licence. Robbie started this transition with us over two or three years ago.

“Uefa clearly states that anyone who has over 50 international caps is automatically given a preference if they have completed their B and A coaching badges, as they are seen as high potentials to work in the game. But Robbie still had to go through the pro licence application, he completed all the documentation and was treated exactly the same.”

There were 45 applicants this year, 19 of whom came through an initial application process and review by a three-person panel before being cleared to start the course.

“The reality is it is very difficult to get on a pro licence course,” say O’Regan. “Historically there may have been examples where people were parachuted in because of roles, but that’s all gone, Uefa don’t allow that any more.

You look at Damien Duff: Damien did his B licence with us five or six years ago, then two years after that he did his A Licence. Then, two years later, he did his Elite Youth A Licence. And now he’s on the pro licence.

“The way the pathway works, the B Licence is your entry level for professional players but if you’ve played no professional football, like, for example Jim McGuinness — who is an inspiration to anyone who really wants to have a career in football — Jim started by doing the very first Kick Start (coaching) course and then has worked his way up over the last 10 or 15 years.”

Corkborn O’Regan, who is himself a pro licence holder, also defended the €8,000 cost of the FAI-run course which is conducted in Ireland and abroad in blocks of 10 across a period of 18 months.

“That €8,000 covers all of their hotel requirements, all of their meals, all of their gear, equipment, all the IT we provide, all the international trips and flights,” he explains.

“The pro licence is not a course designed to bring an income into the Association. Last year’s pro licence, for an average per person paying €8,000, we spent €7,600 on that candidate. So the majority of what we bring in is spent to ensure we are able to deliver the programme we want to deliver. People look at the €8,000 and they just see a fee. They don’t see the 18-month course.”

But given the costs and courses have to be sanctioned by Uefa, what then is the explanation for ostensibly much cheaper prices in some other countries?

“In that scenario, you are looking at the course fee,” O’Regan says. “It doesn’t take into consideration all the other requirements. For example, I paid the course fee to complete it through the IFA.

"But when we went on our international trips, I paid for my own flights and accommodation. The reality is the countries you see that provide coach education at a nominal cost are doing so because that’s the figure that they are accruing as their income from the course.”

Meanwhile, there is acknowledgement that the Uefa requirement for SSE Airtricity League Premier Division managers to hold a pro licence, is going to present a challenge to First Division clubs who are promoted at the end of this season if their managers are not yet suitably qualified for the top flight.

Currently, it’s believed only three managers in the second tier have a pro licence.

Under certain circumstances, the club licencing authorities might be able to give a dispensation or, alternatively, a pro licence-holding coach could be brought onto the staff.

An example ahead of this season is Dundalk where, following the departure of Stephen Kenny, Vinny Perth — who is one of the 19 who have just this week begun their pro licence course — has been named head coach rather than manager, with John Gill, a pro licence graduate in 2009, appointed first-team coach.

The FAI say they will also investigate if any manager affected can be accommodated on a course outside Ireland.

“Our job is to help all of our coaches,” says O’Regan. “If a club contacts us and says we need to get this person on a pro licence as we could be promoted, the first thing we’ll do is contact the other associations and see if it’s possible. That is the network. It’s not a closed door.”