Gary Owens seeking to stay on as FAI chief executive

Mark Scanlon appointed new League of Ireland director as executive team pruned

Gary Owens, left, plans on converting his temporary stay as FAI chief executive into a permanent one, but where, or whether, Niall Quinn fits into the cabinet reshuffle remains to be seen. Picture: Morgan Treacy

After finalising his FAI executive team on Wednesday, including two newcomers, Gary Owens plans on converting his temporary stay as chief executive into a permanent one.

Owens has applied through recruitment firm appointed Odgers Berndtson to extend his tenure beyond the initial six-month contract ending this week.

Wednesday concluded his pruning of the executive team from 14 to nine, with Mark Scanlon the major winner by becoming the new League of Ireland director.

His ascension from national coordinator of schools and third-level football was greeted with shock inside and outside of Abbotstown, given the delicate position the domestic game finds itself in.

Rather than headhunting an experienced professional from a different or similar sporting code, the selection process was limited to internal candidates. Scanlon’s appointment switches the spotlight to Fran Gavin, whose primary function within the post of competitions director entailed League of Ireland matters.

As revealed by the Irish Examiner last month, the FAI intend offering ‘voluntary parting terms’ to those excluded from their new structure.

Where, or whether, Niall Quinn fits into the cabinet reshuffle remains to be seen.

Recent squabbles with the League of Ireland cohort militated against the interim deputy chief executive applying for the role and the state-backed Memo of Understanding (MoU) specifically questions the value of employing a dedicated stand-in boss.

The executive team will include, for the first time, a seat for the senior team manager. Despite Stephen Kenny last week insisting he didn’t have such a title, Owens on Wednesday repeated Kenny’s status as International Football Director.

The other beneficiary of the reshuffle is Ger McDermott. Similar to Scanlon, he rose through the ranks, most recently to the role of Club and League Development manager, and now takes on the mantle of Grassroots director in place of Tom O’Shea.

McDermott was considered close to ex-chief executive John Delaney, yet his review of amateur football early last year failed to get sufficient buy-in from the relevant stakeholders and rests idle gathering dust on a shelf.

Also deemed an ally of Delaney’s was Rea Walshe, who retains her post as Chief Operations Officer. She held the chief executive brief for two months following Delaney’s demise in March 2019 and was the face of the association’s governance crusade in the latter phase of his era.

However, recent confirmation in the Mazars Report that the qualified solicitor was paid by Delaney for external work, contrary to Law Library rules, made her vulnerable.

Mark Russell is another director relieved to be still in his post. He retains the title of Commercial and Marketing Director after having to reapply for his own job.

All candidates were last week interviewed by Owens and HR specialist Yvonne Clancy but the chief executive himself is feeling the heat of boardroom tensions.

They have been simmering since January when independent chairman Roy Barrett, a former colleague of Owens and Quinn on the Visionary Group project, brokered the MoU in January without affording the football directors opportunity for input.

At least two of the eight will have to immediately step down under the terms of the MoU but ratification of the blueprint remains a long-shot given the rising resentment towards the new broom from rank and file football delegates.