Governance of the FAI

**geysir** · 22/11/2014, 8:34 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Is it true that Clones just got a 200k grant and funnily enough their pitch is called John Delaney Park? Also true that Michael Ring's home town club got a similar grant, their second such grant in recent years? The govt gave the FAI the money, FAI decided where it went. None of the clubs applied for it.

Typical Dublin attitude

Though true about Clones being called JD park. However, Clones Town have been developing their plans practically for pitch and clubhouse for 10 years now, have been hoovering up grants and whatnot along the way and JD has been a big source of support for them, for years. If Dublin based FAI buffoons do so readily fall for a bit of corny flattery then Clones Town have pulled off a neat stroke.
They already have a very good top standard pitch along with a smaller pitch right beside and will use this glorious windfall (Hallelujah.....Praise JD) to build dressing rooms. They are now in line to expand the club to cater for some 150 local kids to participate actively in teams.

**Stuttgart88** · 22/11/2014, 8:52 PM

That's the usual sensible type of response I expect of you.

Still, it'd be interesting to learn how the FAI decided where the money should go and whether giving money to the Irish town that brought speckly suits, black slip-ons and white socks to the mass world in 1985 instead of, say, funding 200 more UEFA licensed coaches.

**geysir** · 22/11/2014, 10:08 PM

I don't go for this either or argument. A new football stadium instead of 3 hospitals argument, I would want it all.

I don't know why Clones would get the money ahead of another club and if it has managed it solely by being so corny, it does lower certain bars of integrity to blatant political patronage levels. The central issue is that there is far too little public funding made available for essential sporting infrastructure.

**geysir** · 23/11/2014, 9:38 AM

Also Stutts look at it another way, if in a town the size of Clones there are currently 40 or 50 kids involved in the soccer club, no own pitch until 5 or 6 years ago and now able to carry out plans to build dressing rooms, showers, but no club house per se like the GAA clubhouse in the town.
Now there's facilities to take on another 100 kids, but you already have the cream in the 50, the extra hundred are your average fluff but will provide income to fund coaching that the better young players will benefit from and the club can expand facilities later with the increased membership base. There are 3 or 4 clubs in the county and this is the best one. But all are a light year behind the outreach and social heart that the GAA clubs have in the county.
I suppose there are a few hundred similar stories around the country. The soccer club is there and the GAA club is there and the soccer club is spartan by comparison. The foundation for development in the small towns has also to be stronger in order to expand a network of licensed coaching. FAI elite coaches is just one part of the equation. The Clones club can now run coaching courses which should not only be self financing but provide an extra source of income. It's the funding of the senior players is where money goes.

**BonnieShels** · 28/11/2014, 9:29 AM

It's funny Stutts how this thread was started in the middle of Euro2012 which was essentially our last "successful" period.

At that stage it was considered bitter to criticise but we all know why we did it.

It was like that time Bertie asked those who thought the country's economy was overheating and asked them to commit suicide.

That's what the situation this week with Delaney reminds me of. A big fat FF uckup.

**Stuttgart88** · 10/02/2017, 12:57 PM

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/socc...W23_hc.twitter

Exactly what I've been shouting about on Twitter to my 105 followers!

**Stuttgart88** · 08/09/2018, 1:26 PM

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-37295168.html

Dan McDonnell's thoughts on this matter.

**Stuttgart88** · 10/04/2019, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by geysir

Typical Dublin attitude

Though true about Clones being called JD park. However, Clones Town have been developing their plans practically for pitch and clubhouse for 10 years now, have been hoovering up grants and whatnot along the way and JD has been a big source of support for them, for years. If Dublin based FAI buffoons do so readily fall for a bit of corny flattery then Clones Town have pulled off a neat stroke.
They already have a very good top standard pitch along with a smaller pitch right beside and will use this glorious windfall (Hallelujah.....Praise JD) to build dressing rooms. They are now in line to expand the club to cater for some 150 local kids to participate actively in teams.

Seems like Geysir has been a JD fan all along as he's been a big supporter of Monaghan footy

**Stuttgart88** · 10/04/2019, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/s...mp-273142.html

It looks like the FAI insiders want to continue their comfy tenure.

I was at a conference yesterday dealing with corruption in sporting bodies, with a lot of attention on FIFA as you'd expect. In the afternoon one of the panels contained a lady from UK Sport (their equivalent of the ISC) who will only hand out government money if they feel a NGB meets a desired standard of governance. She described a 60+ item checklist and questionnaire that must be completed as well as qualitative tests. They operate a red, amber, green system to flag areas of concern etc etc.

I was tempted to ask from the floor if, in her opinion, a NGB of a serious sport paid its CEO 3x more than the CEO of the world champion's equivalent, had no independent directors, has gone 3 years without a question from the floor at its AGM and now wants to vote to extend the tenure of its officers beyond 75 years, it would flag any governance concerns.

The ISC seems happy enough though. They dish out our government's dosh.

I was only thinking about this again this week. FAI's oversight by Sport Ireland (then the Irish Sports Council) is part of a flawed overall national sports governance infrastructure in this country. The dogs on the street could have predicted this week's events and Mark Tighe's revelations imho.

**Kingdom** · 10/04/2019, 6:40 PM

Yes, fair point. I was wondering if John Treacy's annoyed demeanour stemmed from the possibility that he too could now be in serious trouble for not doing the proper checks and balances on the FAI.

**Stuttgart88** · 24/04/2019, 11:00 AM

Brendan Menton's take on things including cristicism of Sport Ireland, criticism we offered earlier in this thread.

**passinginterest** · 24/04/2019, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Brendan Menton's take on things including cristicism of Sport Ireland, criticism we offered earlier in this thread.

Longer version of that here: https://medium.com/@menton.brendan/r...oCnG30aWOmJsBE
Interesting views and certainly a man with experience both with the FAI and working with FIFA.

**Kingdom** · 24/04/2019, 1:02 PM

How culpable was Menton for the various issues that dogged the FAI pre-Delaney? I'd say he was significantly involved as Hon. Sec.

We need a proper CEO who is removed from the clique of the Irish football circles, or without the baggage of the FAI.

**passinginterest** · 24/04/2019, 1:07 PM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

How culpable was Menton for the various issues that dogged the FAI pre-Delaney? I'd say he was significantly involved as Hon. Sec.

We need a proper CEO who is removed from the clique of the Irish football circles, or without the baggage of the FAI.

I'd certainly agree that the new board and particularly the CEO should largely come from outside the current circles and that includes those previously involved. There seems to be some practical and sensible suggestions from Menton all the same. Particularly the idea of approaching FIFA with regard to the temporary board structure to give time for proper reform to take place.

**Kingdom** · 24/04/2019, 1:15 PM

I wonder is there a bit of a con-job possible here with Menton though? I'm trying hard to recall, but I thought he was relatively well-thought of, but lost out in the collateral damage post-Saipan, perhaps without doing anything actually wrong.

However I'm wondering if something is brought to the attention of FIFA now (officially), does it give FIFA the latitude to interfere and limit the possibilities for Sport Ireland/Dept of Sport to steer the direction of the new board, hence giving the FAI cronies the possibility of getting back in and preventing real reform.

**jbyrne** · 24/04/2019, 1:28 PM

Originally Posted by Kingdom

However I'm wondering if something is brought to the attention of FIFA now (officially), does it give FIFA the latitude to interfere and limit the possibilities for Sport Ireland/Dept of Sport to steer the direction of the new board, hence giving the FAI cronies the possibility of getting back in and preventing real reform.

that's a reasonable worry but i believe its all gone too far for the current board to have a way back. having given the football community a taste that the current board is gone a reversal wouldn't be accepted.

its incredible that our interim CEO hasn't had a word to say for herself over the last 4 weeks. the association she is supposed to be leading, albeit on an interim basis, has received one kicking after after another without a single word from its CEO