Athletics on track to secure unprecedented levels of funding
More than 200 delegates attended the two-day gathering at the Ramada Hotel in Limerick Junction, where the new executive was elected. Michael Heery, who has been at the helm since the AAI was founded almost seven years ago, was elected president for another term, defeating former Honorary Secretary Georgina Drumm by 151 votes to 62. Corkman Michael Quinlan, treasurer since 1991, was defeated by newcomer Mary Coghlan 130 to 86 in the vote for chair of finance.
Ossie Kilkenny was the first to acknowledge that sacrifices had been made in the interest of the sport: “I know the pain people went through over the last 12 to 18 months in their commitment to democratise this organisation and reinvigorate it and I know it was not easy.”
Kilkenny promised rewards for the sacrifices, commitment and passion that had gone into the restructuring, saying that it was the ISC’s function to respond to their needs.
“So long as you come forward to us — and the best thing for us in the sports council is to see people once a year with a programme — with a demand for financing and funding which we can understand and which we can believe in and then we all go forward,” he said.
“I know there may have been an expectation of an immediate burst of funding because of the changes that have taken place, but we are still going through the process of change. The sports council will come to the plate and it will respond to objective approaches. It is not our job to say no but we have a responsibility for the money that comes from the taxpayer and the Government and we don’t treat that lightly.
“The very good news is that changes being made in the sport are not just substantial — they are groundbreaking. You now have a new board structure, committee structure, you have a new CEO and you have adopted rules that will provide more flexibility.”
In a passionate address, he reflected on what he described as a turbulent past, insisting that sport should have only one agenda.
“Anyone coming to the table with other agendas should leave the room,” he said. “Anyone coming to the table for power, forget it. It gets in the way of sport. If you are going to fly the Irish flag, you fly it transparently, you fly it cleanly and you fly it honestly.”
Breda Synnott was elected vice-president while Patsy McGonagle was elected chair of coaching, Paddy Marley chair of competition, Liam Hennessy chair of high performance and Breda Synnott chair of juvenile committee.
Four regional representatives were elected to the board, which includes the chairs of the various committees. They are Sean Naughton (Munster), Ray Flynn (Connacht), Ronnie Quigley (Leinster) and Neil Martin (Ulster), while members elected to the various committees included former cross-country champion, Ann Keenan Buckley, Brother John Dooley of Cork and former Olympian Maeve Kyle.
: President — M. Heery (Meath); Vice President — B. Synnott (Wicklow); Chair of Coaching — P. McGonagle (Donegal); Chair of Competition — P. Marley (Dublin); Chair of Finance — M. Coghlan (Dublin); Chair of High Performance — L. Hennessy (Dublin); Chair of Juvenile Committee — B. Synnott (Wicklow); Provincial Representatives on Board: R. Flynn (Connacht); R. Quigley (Leinster); S. Naughton (Munster); N. Martin (Ulster); Coaching Committee — Br. J. Dooley (Cork); M. Kyle (Antrim); P. Kelly (Laois); Competition Committee — A. Pobjoy (Dublin), B. McDaid (Donegal), G. Drumm (Louth), J. Cronin (Offaly), M. O’Hart (Sligo).
: R. Quigley (Leinster) P. Griffin (Connacht); C. Kelly (Munster); P. Kelly (Ulster); Finance and Risk Committee — P. Hanlon (Dublin); R. Brady (Meath); D. Evans (Galway); High Performance Committee — A. Keenan-Buckley (Laois); J. Kilty (Dublin), P. Fay (Dublin).
— A. Pobjoy (Dublin); A. McHugh (Sligo), J. Ryan (Mayo); J. McGrath (Waterford); T. Ennis (Meath). Provincial Representatives: B. Holmes (Ulster); M. Burgoyne (Connacht); N. Cowman (Leinster), T. Fitzpatrick (Munster).
