The Labour Party wants a State-funded soccer programme in Irish schools to help them retain pupils.
Dublin Bay North TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin says soccer in Ireland has been treated as a poor relation to GAA and rugby.
He told Lunchtime Live this is for several reasons.
"Partly historically, partly for its own faults - poorly administrated, and we all know the reasons behind that.
"The reason that I'm trying to raise the issue of football as many people are enjoying Euro 2020, it's supposed to utilise the power of the game as a tool for young people in disadvantaged areas, as a tool for integration.
"It's never really been knitted into the school system or the education system as other games have been.
"Rugby schools have been in existence for 140 years in Ireland, we know about many schools [that] are GAA schools - but soccer has never really been as endemic or as knitted into the education system.
"What we're trying to achieve in the Labour Party is discussion around how we can get young people playing football in school on a more practical level, on a daily basis in transition year.
"And that's what our proposal is about."
€11m funding
The party is calling for an €11m scheme to teach football skills in school.
Deputy Ó Ríordáin suggested this funding could come from the betting levy, which already raises some €89m every year.
"What we're suggesting is that 0.25% would be put on to that betting levy in order to raise €11m for this scheme", he said.
Asked why it is important to have it in schools, rather than regular soccer clubs, he explained: "I've discussed this with Stephen Elliot - the former Republic of Ireland striker - he has a school like this in Sunderland.
"And what they do is they knit into the school day.
"So what we're trying to do is to encourage young people aged 16, when they're legally entitled to leave school, football is a game that actually attracts a lot of support in disadvantaged areas.
"We know the power it has amongst new communities in Ireland, different ethnic backgrounds, and it has a very big role to play in gender equality as well.
"So what we're trying to do is to do that in transition year: to have a scheme where schools could opt in, where it could be taught and coached on a daily basis.
"It has never really been the mainstay of the education system as other games have been.
"This isn't an attempt to muscle in on other games - rugby needs to be congratulated for what it's achieved, the GAA's an incredible organisation.
"And I think football - because it's been so poorly run by the FAI themselves over many generations, but also because of legacy issues of not being knitted into the education system - we can do that with State support".
And he said the timing on this would be important.
"It would be a big ask to ask primary schools to include a daily football session into their curriculum, which is already overcrowded.
"What we're suggesting here is that at this stage in a young person's development, just as they might be thinking about leaving school... that this is something that they could do within their own second-level experience."
Deputy Ó Ríordáin added that he has already spoken to both the Sports and Education Ministers, who he said were "interested" in furthering the initiative.
