Eight-time All-Ireland winner Michael Darragh Macauley has joined Sanctuary Runners as CEO.
The former footballer of the year will take over after Sanctuary Runners founder Graham Clifford stepped aside as CEO at the end of 2023 to take up a new position developing the organisation internationally.
Macauley was a leader on the field of play and excelled in his work with North East Inner City (NEIC) Dublin over recent years. Among numerous projects, he helped create the NEIC Trojans basketball team, which welcomed young people of all different cultural backgrounds.
As a social impact leader, Michael Darragh has focused his non-playing career on building communities, bringing people of all different backgrounds together, treating people with respect, and using sport to break down barriers to community integration.
“As someone who has always believed in the power of sport for social good, I have been a huge supporter of Sanctuary Runners’s work over the last few years,” he said.
“Now, more than ever, Sanctuary Runners has a role to play all over the island of Ireland in bringing communities closer together. I’m excited to help grow our message of Solidarity, Friendship, and Respect over the coming years.”
Anna Pringle, Chair of the Board of Sanctuary Runners, said Macauley’s appointment is a time of significant growth for the not-for-profit movement.
“Sanctuary Runners has gone from strength to strength,” she said.
“We now have groups all over Ireland, led by very dedicated local volunteers helping integrate communities through running, walking and even swimming together.”
“We are very excited to welcome Michael Darragh as CEO. His energy and leadership will greatly boost us as we grow in Ireland and beyond.”
Sanctuary Runners now has 40 groups across Ireland and plans to build more. Its groups bring together locals, migrants, refugees, and those seeking international protection to run, jog, and walk in solidarity, friendship, and respect. In 2022, with support from Swim Ireland, it established a Sanctuary Swimmers initiative.
On October 19th, Sanctuary Runners will hold its first Global Solidarity Run in partnership with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland Funds, and Strava.
This initiative will be led by Sanctuary Runners founder Graham Clifford, who has moved to the recently created Head of International Development role as Sanctuary Runners seeks to expand its model worldwide.
“Michael Darragh is a legend on and off the field.,” he said.
“His recent work has displayed how much he values community in all its rich and wonderful diversity. His combination of proactivity, passion and energy are a formidable cocktail and we’re all looking forward to working with him to achieve our mission of building more socially cohesive, sound and respectful communities. “
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