Hackett’s blueprint for the future

SOME might regard the role as a poisoned chalice but newly appointed CEO to the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI), Brendan Hackett, considers his post the most exciting in Irish sport.

The sport has gone through a traumatic period due to waning interest, poor performances at major championships and an aversion to change.

All that will be history if only a portion of Hackett’s enthusiasm filters through and the Executive ­ of which some members are not totally behind ­ gets backing for the new structure from grassroots members at the special congress scheduled for December.

The future of Irish athletics depends on how delegates vote at that meeting in Portlaoise. Should the membership approve of the new structure ­ and it would appear the Irish Sports Council funding hangs on this decision ­ he will embark on his mission to put athletics on a par with gaelic games, soccer and rugby on January 1st.

Hackett will compete with the major team sports to get 400,000 primary school pupils and 300,000 secondary school students involved in athletics and, through the developmental programme, to bring them through to junior level and ultimately to senior and elite levels.

“We are told that it takes 10 years for an athlete to reach his or her peak,” he said. “If that is so, then we should be looking at our schools for the athletes who will represent us at the London Olympics in 2012. I have gone through the middle and long distance stats for recent major championships and discovered the average age was 21. John Treacy won his first world title at 20, Ronnie Delany was 21 when he won Olympic gold and Sonia O’Sullivan reached her first final at 20. From those statistics it is only logical that we should be looking at the schools.”

Loyal club officials ­ and everybody knows one ­ are burned out trying to attract more youngsters into the sport with little or no help from the governing body while the GAA, soccer and rugby pour millions into coaching.

He promised immediate help in this area through their club development programme, a new booklet will be provided for general distribution pointing out the benefits of club membership.

The new structure provides for elite and high performance athletes but he warned that performances in Beijing in 2008 could be quite similar to Athens pointing out that precious little had been done since then to improve the situation.

Managers will be appointed for international teams ­ possibly for three year terms similar to other national and international teams ­ and AAI will assist elite athletes by sending them to where the coaching expertise for their particular events is available, if that is what they need.

The new structure which has been presented to county boards throughout the country will cost €2million and will be funded initially by the Irish Sports Council but they would eventually be pulling in something like €1 million a year through sponsorship or a brand coverage campaign.