Commissioner looks to the future after sorry season
el.net
Monday, April 29th, 2002
The eircom League has released the full text of commissioner Roy Dooney's speech at Saturday's AGM in Dublin.
In it, Dooney admitted that many mistakes had been made in his first season and that he had failed to reach his own standards as set out at the start of the campaign.
The full text of the speech follows below.
1. Introduction
By any standards, this has been an exceptionally difficult season for the eircom League. The many positive developments created by talented players, evenly matched teams, rapidly improving facilities and better media coverage were overshadowed by a series of disputes off the field which badly tarnished the League's reputation.
I do not propose to dwell on these matters which have already been discussed at great length within the League and elsewhere.
As a new recruit to the League I am acutely conscious that expectations for me were high. My own self-expectations were equally high and not met.
On a personal level, I take responsibility for this season's problems. I recognise that I have made mistakes but can assure you that I have learnt a great deal from them and that they most definitely will not be made again.
As is well known, my sporting background is not in football and it has been a steep and difficult learning curve to climb in the last nine months mastering both a complex and sometimes contradictory rule book, which additionally has a parallel and unwritten series of interpretations and customs built up over the years. This makes the administration of the League particularly complex for a newcomer.
In decisions I took I was entirely motivated by what I believed was the spirit of fair and sporting competition. I now recognise and am sorry for making what with the benefit of hindsight were wrong decisions for what I believed at the time were the right reasons.
I believe that we are now at the bottom of the curve and that the League has a healthy future for next season and beyond. While some subjects have got a disproportionate share of attention there are many positive elements from this season that I would like to highlight and on which we can build and go forward next season and beyond:
2. League administration
In my first report to the Management Committee last year I identified the under-resourcing of the League office as a central issue that needed to be addressed. I am pleased that in recent weeks we have appointed two new staff members, Darren Bernstein and Pat Duffy, raising our staff complement by 66 per cent.
It has not been feasible in the past, or this season, for a small office to police and enforce every rule particularly when many clubs do not seem to have the resources themselves to address issues of concern to the League and its sponsor. Communication between the League and clubs on anything other than essential matters has been weak.
In looking forward I believe that the recruitment of Darren and Pat will be of huge help in improving the marketing, development and administration of the League and its clubs.
The League's Rules Committee and I are working on revisions to the rulebook and liaising with the FAI committee doing similar work on the FAI Rule Book. I expect that we will be in a position in a few weeks time to convene an e.g.m. to consider rule changes for the League that will bring in more simplicity and clarity.
The registration system needs a complete overhaul. To ensure that a new system is set up in the most efficient and effective way possible, and to ensure that the most use is made of the FAI's recently agreed partnership with Hewlett Packard, I have spoken with the FAI about getting consultancy advice from HP as soon as possible on a new registration system that would be effective for next season. This should involve recommendations on both personnel and technology.
Such a review should be geared towards a complete fresh start for next season with a revised registration form, clarity between the FAI and League as to responsibility for professional players and contracts, standard forms for regulating loans and transfers and return mechanisms to clubs for each registration form to confirm receipt and in order status.
There has been under-investment in the League office for a number of years and a rapidly increasing workload has not been matched by the appropriate staff resources or the modern technology to do their jobs efficiently.
I believe that a case can be made to the FAI to support this in view of the handover of financial responsibility from the FAI to the League and the role the FAI will play as licensor of clubs under the UEFA club licensing programme.
The issue of the broader management and policy making structures of the League need to be urgently addressed. This is an issue on which I believe the advice and involvement of the FAI would be desirable and I know the General Secretary has had recent discussions and correspondence on this subject with club chairmen.
The definitions of responsibility and authority between executive staff and committees has to be clarified for the greater working efficiency of all. I do not believe it is possible to run the League professionally under the current arrangements. It is my intention, notwithstanding the staff constraints in the League and in many clubs to more rigorously enforce compliance with the rules from now on through tighter and more documented procedures.
This may inconvenience and aggravate clubs because it has not been the case in recent years, but I believe it is the only way forward in light of recent events.
3. Players
By common agreement, the standard of players in the League continues to rise rapidly as better coaching, full time training and better facilities spread wider.
The League has participated in the development of the REAP programme at DCU to help young players released by clubs in England to reintegrate to Irish society and football and the strengthening of clubs.
The heightened media profile of a few players is of great help in marketing the League and clubs can play a major role in developing the media profile of their "star turns".
A number of meetings were held during the season with the PFAI to discuss issues of mutual concern and the appointment by the PFAI of Fran Gavin as its full-time General Secretary is a welcome development which will ensure a deeper partnership between the League and its players - our greatest asset.
