The old guard at the FAI is in full retreat. But it hasn't gone away, you know. In February 2019, the FAI board was stuffed with a clique that had overstayed its welcome.

We now know that they asked no questions and, consequently, were told no lies. Several of them had served 15 years as directors in defiance of best practice. There were echoes of Pat Hickey's autocratic regime at the Olympic Council of Ireland.

In March, the floodgates opened when Mark Tighe revealed in the Sunday Times that the boss had lent the toxic outfit a hundred grand. At first, some argued it was no big deal. The reality was much starker - it was almost insolvent.

The house of cards began to tumble. Grassroots soccer watched in horror as their association crumbled around them.

The players, fans and volunteers that the association was supposed to support had been forgotten by those entrusted with the future of Irish football.

Football, the sport with more participants than any other, was on its knees, controlled by a cabal where self-interest was supreme.

The old FAI had friends in high places. Attempts were made to sway Cabinet ministers to stall the march of reform.

They failed.

As we intensified the pressure, incorrect stories of me accepting lavish FAI hospitality were spun to the newspapers.

Simultaneously, Uefa were fed a narrative designed to bring us onto a collision course with them. They came to Dublin to put us in our place, yet seemed startled when confronted with the reality of the FAI story.

Investigations galore were launched. Revelations began to leak out. One report was referred to the gardai.

The banks were spooked. Sponsorship deals were drying up. Local small clubs due their winnings were being left empty-handed. It looked like the beginning of the end. Liquidation beckoned. Still the old guard sought support from Uefa. Our national football association, now excluded from taxpayers' funds, was on the drip.

Attempts were made to slot powerful people into key positions, which we couldn't countenance. The need for a complete clean-out was apparent only to some. Resistance persisted.

It took the prospect of financial Armageddon to force the complete capitulation of the old board. Within maybe a few weeks of no wages being paid, the long-delayed appointment of truly independent directors was conceded.

Not before a tense meeting with the FAI was rendered fruitless when they demanded an €18m cheque from the taxpayer.

Enter new chairman Roy Barrett - a football lover without any FAI baggage.

Enter Catherine Guy and Liz Joyce, a solicitor and a human resources expert - again without the albatross of FAI history hanging around their necks. Independent men and women accepting a challenge, carrying no financial reward.

Last week, Gary Owens and Niall Quinn took the reins as chief executive and deputy, both determined to restore faith in a disgraced body.

Grassroots football held its breath as men and women they trusted took a leap of faith.

My colleague Brendan Griffin and I met the FAI, Uefa, the Bank of Ireland, the unions and the League of Ireland in a series of meetings in a race against insolvency.

The atmosphere was transformed. I never thought that I would find myself pulling in the same direction as bankers and trade unions. Nor did they expect such unlikely bedfellows. Football had united old adversaries.

A deal was struck. All stakeholders felt some pain. I cannot reveal details of the contributions of either Uefa or the Bank of Ireland but understand that our share is not the largest.

The Government's role is totally transparent. We have set strict, some would say penal, conditions on our part.

We have agreed to lend, not to give a grant of €2.5m per annum over the next three years. We have spelled out the conditions for public inspection. If they are not fulfilled, the loans will stop and be recalled.

The long list of conditions includes protections for jobs, wide-scale corporate governance reforms to keep the old guard from making a return and rigorous financial oversight to ensure this never happens again.

More palatably, we are not only restoring funding to the grassroots of football, we are doubling it. This will include a ring-fenced increase for both our League of Ireland and Women's National League heroes.

The agreement for reform reached is only the start. A lot of battles lie ahead for Roy and his new team. Dark forces are still lurking in the background, intent on return, yet the progress made in recent weeks is stunning.

At the beginning of February 2020, we can celebrate in moderation. A rescue has been agreed. Football at the grassroots has been recognised as the prime focus of Ireland's most popular sport. Lower and middle-paid jobs have been secured.

This time last year such a revolution would have been beyond imagination. Today we can report reform and relief. Yet vigilance is imperative.

The conditions imposed on the FAI in the deal must be enforced to ensure our association never falls into the wrong hands again.

Shane Ross is Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and TD for Dublin Rathdown