FAI board extended as EGM backs gender balance

BOARD EXTENDED: Outgoing FAI President Gerry McAnaney. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

FAI members have voted to increase the size of the organisation's board from 12 to 14. 

The vote to extend the board - taken at an EGM at Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel in Dublin - ensures the FAI will meet gender balance requirements set out in Government policy and in turn, salvages half of the FAI’s state funding for 2024.

The proposal - in need of a 75 percent backing - won out after 110 members voted in favour of the change. 

An FAI statement on the matter read: "Delegates voted to expand the board from 12 to 14 members. Seven football directors will be elected from the Football Chambers of the General Assembly with at least one of the football directors to be female. 

"A further seven independent directors will serve on the board of the FAI, including a female director with a football background.

"The vote endorses the provision of measures to ensure a minimum of 40% of each gender on the board, meaning at least six but not more than eight directors of each gender on the board."

Announcing the result of the vote at the EGM, outgoing FAI president Gerry McAnaney said: “This vote paves the way for us to increase the size of our Board to 14 and ensure that the board will have a minimum of 6 male and 6 female directors in future. 

"This is a very significant development for the association and means that we will be in a position to achieve the 40% female director target set out in Government policy and specifically in the MOU as soon as we identify and appoint two additional female directors to the board in January.

“While our focus in recent weeks has been on the details of the proposals and securing the support of members, it would be easy to lose sight of the significance of this decision and the opportunity it presents to the association to show leadership in the area of equality, diversity and inclusion."

McAnaney concluded: “It is fitting that this positive development should come about in the year in which our Women’s National Team took part in their first World Cup and were promoted to Euro Nations League A and the year in which we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Irish women’s participation in international football.”

The vote marks the end of Saturday's EGM, as the members now pivot focus to the organisation's AGM.