Formerly known as the FAS course, the FAI/ETB Football Academy caters for players looking to combine football and educational development, through the centres in Castlebar, Cork, Dublin and Limerick.
On Monday, head coach Trevor Lovell will assemble an FAI/ETB Football Academy Selection to take on a Republic of Ireland Under 19 Home-Based Selection in a unique exhibition match in the FAI National Training Centre.
With players coming from each of the eight centres, Lovell is able to call on some of the most talented youngsters in the country for what will be a tough test.
"We want to give the players a pathway to becoming a footballer. This game is an incentive for the players to do well on the courses and get noticed by scouts and by Ireland Under 19 head coach Tom Mohan," said Lovell.
"We also want to increase the profile of the courses. This is the first time that we have had a representative team play and we also hope to play games against the Ireland Schools and Irish Colleges & Universities teams.
"We are increasing the awareness that the eight courses are there around the country, that it is a pathway to Irish football - and even to further afield - and it is a pathway to international football too. So we hope this representative team can show people the quality that exists in the centres and the good work that is being done."
The FAI/ETB has been responsible for helping over 100 players successfully forge careers in the SSE Airtricity League, Continental Tyres Women's National League, and in top-flight Leagues around the world.
Also, in 2016, four graduates were called up by manager Martin O'Neill to the Republic of Ireland men's senior squad for the first time in Andy Boyle, Matt Doherty, Chris Forrester and Daryl Horgan.
The course has also been hugely beneficial to many women's footballers with five members of the current Ireland Women's Under 19s - Amanda McQuillan, Jamie Finn, Niamh Prior, Chloe Moloney and Roma McLaughlin - involved with the course in Clondalkin, Dublin.
On the education side it delivers a programme that focuses on the areas of health, fitness, business and computers, helping participants to prepare for FETAC Level 5 qualification and secure entry to third level education.
However, the next big challenge is whether Lovell's selection can find a way past Mohan's team in Monday's clash.
FAI/ETB Football Academy Selection v Republic of Ireland Under 19 Home-Based Selection
When: Monday, November 28
Where: FAINTC
Time: KO 18:00