Sporting careers are transitional. Just when you think a particular player is irreplaceable, they need to be replaced.
In Business there is a similar challenge, though rarely under so much scrutiny, when somebody moves on from a role they have played to an incredibly high standard and then has to be succeeded by somebody else.
That is the challenge facing the Gaelic Players Association who have opened up the competition to take over from long term CEO Dessie Farrell who is stepping down at the end of the year.
The job specification was advertised in the Irish Times and has been circulated to current and former players. It speaks of the need for leadership, vision and passion as well as the management capabilities to deliver high class strategic and operational performance in the coming years.
We wrote last week that Dessie Farrell was one of the most impressive individuals we have had the pleasure to work with in sport. A mix of steely determination, genuine humility and a winning ability to bring people with him cannot be learned, cannot be engineered into a personality and are a rarity.
It will be a challenge then for whoever steps up to fill those shoes bit whoever does so will need the confidence to put their own stamp on an organisation that is still young in terms of history but plays a vital role in the most important sporting and social association we have in Ireland.
The GPA only represents those at the pinnacle of the sport but how they do so reflects across the whole sport.
The job description lists the following requirements:
- To advocate on behalf of county players through engagement with squads, current and former players.
- To execute the strategic, operational and financial plan to drive the organisation forward.
- To provide the vision and leadership required to support the organisation through the next phase of its life cycle.
- To manage key stakeholder relationships to ensure that productive partnerships are maintained and developed.
- To ensure that player welfare and development programmes are appropriately resourced and are of the highest standard to support our athletes in vital areas of their lives.
Patience, a cool head, excellent communication skills and emotional intelligence will be to the fore of traits being sought by Shay Dalton at Lincoln Recruitment Specialists who are managing the recruitment process.
The details of the job and the application process are published here. Doubtless there are those among you reading this that would be well suited. If you do step forward it will be a pleasure watching how you fill one of the most challenging but ultimately rewarding roles in sports administration. Good luck.
