Strict new rules enforced in elections of IFA officers
Last year’s radical overhaul of how the 85,000 member organisation is run included strict new election procedures which came under pressure recently at the election of Eddie Scanlan as Limerick’s IFA vice-chairman.
The office of county vice-chairman has assumed new importance after the IFA overhaul, and the election drew an overflow attendance of senior officers to the Limerick AGM in Adare.
But many delegates, eager to vote, were disappointed when Donal Kelly, IFA’s new Chairman of the Rules and Privileges Committee, stamped his authority and insisted that each branch have only three votes, plus a fourth where the fourth voting member was a female, in line with IFA’s new gender friendly rules.
The former Munster IFA vice-president met strong opposition as he firmly ruled out of order a move to allow senior officers over and above the specified number of official branch delegates to vote.
“The rules are the rules, and I am here to see that they are enforced”, he said.
He warned that any election conducted in breach of the new rules would be declared invalid. In response, some officers threatened to walk out.
Limerick IFA Chairman Michael Roche said it was unfair to ask officers to serve the organisation for 12 months, and not allow them to vote, but they would have to go by the rules to ensure that it was legitimate.
Contesting the election were Eddie Scanlan, Clarina, and Martin Stapleton, Oola.
There was only one nomination for chairman, with Michael Roche, Pallasgreen re-elected without contest, and the new secretary is Aidan Gleeson, Clarina, also the only nominee for the position.
