Roddy Guiney, Chairman of public relations agency, Wilson Hartnell, has been elected Chairman of the Federation of Irish Sport, succeeding David Williams whose term concluded at the recent AGM.

Guiney has been a board member at the Federation since 2016 assisting in its role as a representative body for Ireland’s National Governing Bodies for Sport and the country’s 28 Local Sports partnerships.

Other board members include Shauna McIntyre from Dublin City Council, Ciaran Gallagher from Gymnastics Ireland and John Holian from Athletics Ireland

The Federation works on behalf of its members to create a greater awareness of the importance of sport across a wide number of areas including health, business, tourism, community, diversity, and the economy.

Guiney has been involved in sport all his life. His father Dave was an Olympic athlete, sports journalist and author while he himself has played football in the League of Ireland and been involved as a coach and a manager.

In business, he founded and developed Wilson Hartnell’s sports business, which continues to work with major brands and Sport for Business members such as AIB, Electric Ireland, Diageo and the Sport Ireland National Sports Campus.

When we founded Sport for Business he was one of the first to spot the potential of what we were doing and invited me in to have a coffee and chat through why we were doing what we were doing and what was our ‘angle’. Once satisfied that the ‘angle’ was to provide a genuinely independent publishing and networking business forging greater links and understanding between sport and business he bacame and still remains one of our strongest supporters.

We have worked with him as Chairman of the judging panel for the Sport Industry Awards which will return in the early part of 2018 and his appointment to Chair the Federation is one that we warmly endorse.

Guiney first became involved in the Federation as an advisor for the launch of its Just Sport Ireland mediation and arbitration service and he was heavily involved in the first four of its ” Irish Sport Matters” campaigns, which were devised to raise awareness of the major contribution sport makes to life in Ireland.

The campaigns aimed to advance the opportunity for sport to play an even greater role in areas such health and tourism.

“I am deeply honoured to take up the position,” said Guiney.

“I have been lucky enough to be involved in sport all my life. I believe that while sport currently plays a really important part in Irish life, it has the potential to do even more.”

“In that context, the work of our National Sports Organisations and LSP’s is vital.”

“They make sport happen at all levels from grassroots to elite levels. They know what is needed to unlock the potential of sport, what investments are needed, what programmes need to be created and where we need new facilities. However, they need increased funding if they are to fulfil their respective remits.”

“As a country, we are beginning to unlock our potential. Who would have thought that we could bid for a Rugby World Cup and host a Europa League Final and play host to matches as part of the Euro 2020 Finals?”

“We are also, at long last, making strides in women’s sport having hosted the Women’s Rugby World Cup this summer whilst, 46,000 people attended the recent Ladies Gaelic Football All Ireland Final making it the best attended female sports event in Europe this year.”

“However, given the persistent public health challenges facing Ireland’s population, investment in sport has never been so important. Increased investment in sport is a necessity to ensure we continue to develop sporting opportunity for all of Ireland’s people.”

“Our focus in the Federation will be to create an even greater awareness of the potential of sport with a view to encouraging the Government to continue to increase the funds for our National Sporting Organisations and LSPs. I look forward to the challenge as indeed do our entire board.”

Wilson Hartnell, AIB, Electric Ireland, Gymnastics Ireland, Athletics Ireland and Sport Ireland are among the more than 230 organisations that play an active part of the Sport for Business community.  

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 Image Credit Wilson Hartnell