The FAI AGM will take place in Stillorgan in Dublin on Saturday with proceedings getting underway at 1 PM following an EGM due now to start at 12 Noon.
That should pave the way for the expansion of the board to 14 members from the current 12, 11 of which places are filled at the moment and the twelfth of which should be ratified on Saturday with Tony Keohane being elected as Chair.
So long as the two new members elected are female that will produce a six eight split on gender lines, enough to get over the 40 percent threshold.
It appears that unease over the split of seven independent Board members and seven from within the sport have passed with confirmation this was a Government requirement as part of the Memorandum of Understanding following the bailout and governance reform post the John Delaney era.
There will be an election for a new President to succeed Gerry McAnaney with current Vice President Paul Cooke and Joe O’Brien’s names having gone forward.
The AGM itself, with these matters set aside will be an opportunity for members of the Assembly to raise questions that are likely to come across a number of different areas from grassroots to the elite levels of the game, and sponsorship to governance.
CEO Jonathan Hill will likely be questioned on the recent issues surrounding travel expenses though with the overpayment having been repaid that will be more a case of looking backwards on how it arose rather than forcing any other change.
There will be questions again over his continued living in England but again in an era of easy travel and virtual communication that is one of perception rather than performance. If he was living in Kerry or Donegal there would be no questions asked and yet it would be logistically more difficult than living across the Irish Sea.
The signing of the Castore deal eased the financial challenge of the lack of a Men’s national team sponsor and that will also be raised. The reality is that performance on the pitch has been as much a hindrance towards securing a deal as concerns over how the FAI was or is being run, the continued gap in the portfolio is something that the football family believes the CEO is responsible for.
In the sense of ‘the buck stopping at the top’ that is the case and Hill’s handling of this when it is raised will be important in setting the tone.
The Women’s National Team qualifying for the World Cup and gaining promotion to League A amidst the highest ranked teams in Europe, an ever stronger League of Ireland and the winning of the hosting of the 2028 UEFA European Championships should be highpoints to celebrate but AGM’s are often more about giving out rather than waving flags, and that is a universal truth not just for the FAI.
Interested observers tomorrow will include the members of the Oireachtas Committee who will question FAI and Sport Ireland officials on a range of matters next Wednesday.
Given the extreme recency bias of these hearings the agenda for that meeting is likely to be written by what transpires tomorrow.
Getting a win on the gender balance question will be a positive, while any additional clarity on the background to the expenses issue will also reduce the heat for next week.
