FAI chief Jonathan Hill: FAI to unveil strategy next month
FAI chief executive officer Jonathan Hill at the FAI AGM at FAI HQ in Abbotstown, Dublin. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
The FAI is to unveil its finalised three-year strategy in February, according to chief executive Jonathan Hill.
Hill Thursday night briefed some stakeholders in Irish football on outcomes of topics raised during a consultative process.
In total, they held nine “town hall” meetings on a nationwide roadshow, 44 online and in-person consultations and in-depth interviews, 535 engagements with members of the football community, received 40 written submissions from the football community, and had 5,709 respondents to a research survey across multiple stakeholder cohorts.
“We are using this report to provide feedback here on your contributions and show you how we analysed each piece of information and the outcome in relation to our 2022-2025 strategic plan,” said Hill in his communication to members.
“Each topic that reoccurred throughout all our sessions is referenced, along with our consideration of same, and the outcome in relation to the 2022-2025 strategy.
“The extensive consultation process allowed us to establish clear priorities on the issues we need to resolve and identify the challenges that require further engagement and consultation into 2022 and beyond. This, we feel, is reflected in the updated strategy.”
International success figures as one of the six pillars across their vision but it is the one section in the presentation they held fire on specifying tangible goals.
“Targets for international football confirmed in the final strategy document,” was the sole reference.
Last year’s draft document was far more specific about the expectations for the men’s and women’s teams. That said: “We will be on track to have our senior teams qualify for at least every second major tournament.”
The men last qualified in 2016 while the women have yet to reach a showpiece.
Elsewhere, in response to suggestions that the FAI establish a national residential academy at Abbotstown, replicating a successful model operated by the Irish FA in Belfast, they confirmed it wasn’t a core objective of their charter.
