10 contenders to become the next FAI's chief executive

He’ll be forever recalled as the man who came after John Delaney’s 15-year power marathon but not for much else as his three-and-a-half year stay ebbs out anticlimactically. Attention now turns to sourcing his replacement and identity of same.
10 contenders to become the next FAI's chief executive

FAI Director of Football Marc Canham and former FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill.

Just as a long list of candidates is trimmed to a sole name as new Ireland manager later this week, another emerges as the successor to one of those responsible for selecting him.

Jonathan Hill’s position as chief executive was untenable from the moment his explanation around knowledge of an erroneous holiday payment changed between two visits to face questioning from politicians at Government buildings.

He’ll be forever recalled as the man who came after John Delaney’s 15-year power marathon but not for much else as his three-and-a-half year stay ebbs out anticlimactically.

Attention now turns to sourcing his replacement and identity of same.

A current salary of €258,000 is still around €100,000 shy of what Delaney pocketed, even before his infamous ancillary perks, but will appeal to a certain profile.

After consciously recruiting someone outside the Irish scene by picking ex-English FA and Wembley executive Hill, they may revert to the domestic market.

Atop of the big-ticket items such as securing a main sponsor and new manager without this unwieldy delay, an ability to mix with the various strands of the game, which Hill struggled in, is a must.

The newcomer doesn’t need celebrity status like Delaney craved, yet cannot be cast as the aloof character Hill was renowned as.

Here we assess the credentials of 10 candidates:

The FAI Board has confirmed the appointment of David Courell as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Pic credit: FAI.
The FAI Board has confirmed the appointment of David Courell as Interim Chief Executive Officer. Pic credit: FAI.

David Courell:

Interim status tends to trigger permanent residency in Abbotstown of late so the Mayoman has gotten a start by being elevated from chief operating officer while the ad is placed and interviews commence.

He began his stint in the UK with Deloitte before being operations manager of the Olympic Stadium hosting the 2012 London Games. From the British Paralympic association, he joined the English FA in 2017, working on projects such as the 2030 World Cup bid. He was central to devising the FAI’s strategy document of 2022 followed by their Facilities and Investment wishlist 15 months later.

Noel Mooney.
Noel Mooney.

Noel Mooney:

A familiar name in Irish football as the former League of Ireland goalkeeper who became its marketing director. Amid austere times, he left the FAI for Uefa, only to return in 2019 with the gimmicky title of general manager.

That was in the aftermath of Delaney’s demise but the hold government officials had over a broken FAI at the time resulted in sports minister Shane Ross quashing Mooney’s candidature for being part of the “old guard”.

The Cappamore native took up the chief executive’s role of Wales in 2021 and, despite a few controversies, including an apparent pursuit of Roy Keane as manager, he’s got unfinished business in Abbotstown.

Sarah Keane speaking during the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) National Action plan for gender equality in sport.
Sarah Keane speaking during the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) National Action plan for gender equality in sport.

Sarah Keane:

The current CEO of Swim Ireland and President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland was right in the mix to succeed Delaney in 2020. Hill’s stellar track record in revenue generation when the FAI were in a cash crisis proved decisive.

Her reputation has grown since, especially in the space of corporate governance that the FAI continues to trip up in, however marginal the sums involved are.

Well regarded in powerful external circles, it would be worth Keane’s efforts to repeat her run. Someone from outside the football sphere might be a consideration.

Ciarán Medlar:

By day, Medlar is head of sports advisory at BDO but has multiple layers to his repertoire. He advises a flotilla of sportspeople, including Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Vera Pauw in football, as well as Rachael Blackmore and senior rugby internationals outside of it. Medlar represented the women’s squad during their negotiations to secure an historic equal pay agreement and would have an intimate knowledge of the inner workings in football, both here and abroad.

He’d have to relinquish his chairmanship of Shamrock Rovers, the club he’s worked with since Dermot Desmond became a 25% shareholder, but this might be a challenge he’d relish.

Robert Watt:

Best known as the straight-talking, highest-paid public servant as the department of health secretary general, Watt has delved into sports administration since joining the FAI board in 2020.

Why someone would want to leave a job that currently pays €297,869, rising to €326,000 by 2026, for the beleaguered FAI would puzzle some people but Watt has been active around the football beat and believes his expertise can help cure some of its clear shortcomings.

Having missed out to Tony Keohane on filling the Chairman’s berth in December, this could be the window for the independent director to execute executive functions.

Chairman of the FAI international and high performance committee Packie Bonner (left).
Chairman of the FAI international and high performance committee Packie Bonner (left).

Packie Bonner:

Would certainly constitute an outside bet as he’s no chief executive history but his supporters would argue his ability to navigate the structural landscape, woo sponsors and utilise his standing within state and Uefa circles fuse into an impressive CV.

The Italia ’90 hero spent eight years as FAI technical director until culled as part of Delaney’s redundancy purge in 2010 but has been part of the board for the past three years and wasn’t afraid to challenge Hill or past Chairman Roy Barrett.

Fintan Drury:

An outspoken critic during the Delaney dominance, Drury carries a blend of football and business experience to boost his candidature.

Formerly a player at UCD, the Dubliner made his name firstly as an RTÉ journalist before establishing Ireland’s most successful agency for players, Platinum One.

Over the years, they’ve represented the bulk of Ireland’s senior squad and brought Real Madrid to Dublin for the 2009 friendly against Shamrock Rovers.

That was just after Drury’s plans to create an All-Ireland league were scuppered. He’s returned to the concept in more recent years, helping Kieran Lucid push his proposals, and has a keen interest in bettering Irish football.

FAI President Paul Cooke.
FAI President Paul Cooke.

Paul Cooke:

Another man steeped in football to be ostracised by Delaney, how the tables turned since 2019.

Fellow Waterfordman Cooke has been inside the tent, prevailing in three elections to be elected, then reelected, as vice-president and president last December.

His principal background though is business, as chief executive of two national newspapers and holding a brief spell as executive lead – another name for CEO – until Barrett plumped for his fellow Visionary Group members Gary Owens and Niall Quinn.

His stock rose further when being an outlier in calling out Hill’s contortions but he may feel equally influential in his current role, rather than being front of house.

Niall O’Driscoll:

A former chief executive of famed schoolboys/girls club St Joseph’s and then owner of Bray Wanderers, O’Driscoll had the business acumen to complement his football interest having built up to his insurance business to be taken over by heavyweight Arachas in 2020 for an eight-figure windfall.

He’s since become chairman of the Dublin District Schoolboys/girls league, raising finance to employ full-time staff, including Evan Ferguson’s father Barry, whom they headhunted from the FAI as their director of coaching. A man who’d know his way around the cavernous, and often ravenous, political footballing minefield.

Susan Whelan:

Only a homecoming affinity would seem likely to tempt the Howth woman to the lesser paid vacancy, for she’s ensconced in the King Power group as supremo of Leicester City.

They’re sitting in the automatic promotion spots of the Championship, on track for an immediate Premier League return, and she's 13 years in her position as the eyes and ears of the Thai-based mothership. Perhaps the FAI’s belated compliance with the state’s 40% gender balance board ratio will convince her the FAI has finally changed for the better.

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