2 weeks Ago By Owen Cowzer
GOLF does not do it for me — but while you were all watching The Masters and talking of time warps, I could empathise.After all, I had just seen that the Irish Examiner had a story about a rare public appearance by John Delaney.He was in Tralee as the stand at Mounthawk Park was being named after his friend and supporter John O’Regan.
The story, beside a photo of the journalist with the ex-FAI CEO, quoted Delaney, who claimed: “I gave €5,000 to Castlegregory last summer and I gave €10,000 to Castleisland, and I am giving €5,000 today, out of my own pocket.”It was like going back in time to when Delaney was heading down to clubs around the country armed with a big cheque.Sure, a great man all the same.
Of course, the general view now is different.It all began to unravel when Delaney — who was paid in excess of €300,000 per year to ensure the financial health of the FAI — had to loan the association €100,000 in April 2017.And the Corporate Enforcement Authority continues to examine financial accounts and records from that era.
Nowadays, you can call the former FAI CEO ‘disgraced’ without the lawyers panicking.But Delaney’s appearance on the day and the claims he made were a reminder of how things were in the past.Many clubs and officials emailed journalists back in 2019 to say what Delaney had done for them and there is no doubting that he did some good things.
There is no way he could have remained at the helm for almost 15 years otherwise, though you will find other areas of the game that felt underserved. But the FAI said themselves that more could and should have been done.In their 2023 Facilities Investment document, they wrote: “We believe that football has been underinvested in for the last 25 years.
“This is not the fault of any single entity but it is a simple fact.”Delaney stated consistently during his reign that football was the highest participation sport in Ireland — yet left with the sport still crying out for a functioning industry.And that is what the current guardians of the game are attempting to do, and all at once.
An FAI delegation met the Minister for State with special responsibility for sport, Charlie McConalogue, earlier this month.The main item on the agenda was funding for facilities and academies.And earlier this week, FAI Grassroots Director Ger McDermott briefed the media on a variety of topics including the aligned season, more football at all levels and a football pyramid for adults.
Delaney attending an FAI Cup match between St. Michael’s and Waterford at Cooke Park in Tipperary in July 2023SportsfileIt is a delicate eco-system where every part is vital.The aligned season and more football means the participation numbers won’t fall off, but that then requires more facilities.
And the more talented young players need academies to fulfil their potential and greater opportunities if they fall short in their dream of reaching the top at home or abroad.Of course, to make it all sustainable, League of Ireland clubs need to be successful businesses so they need modern stadia to cater for greater crowds.And at every level, football is about more than just the players with coaches, administrators, ground staff and everything else in between needed.
But any delicate eco-system needs to be managed carefully and if one part does not evolve, another may wither.The parish-pump approach of Delaney in the past for one area and not another will do no one any favours..
