FAI ratifies election of Longford Town's Caroline Rhatigan as a Football Director

The Annual General Meeting of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) ratified the election of Longford Town's Caroline Rhatigan as a Football Director and re-elected Independent Directors Packie Bonner and Robert Watt to the Board of the FAI.#

 
Nominated by the Professional Football Chamber, Caroline Rhatigan replaces Niamh O’Mahony as a Football Director with her election ratified at the meeting, held at the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel in Dublin.

 
Independent Directors Bonner and Watt, nominated by the Nominations Committee of the FAI, will each serve for a further two years following their ratification at the 2024 AGM.

 
Welcoming Longford Town General Assembly member Caroline Rhatigan to the Board, President Paul Cooke said: “I congratulate Caroline on her ratification and look forward to working alongside her over the coming years. Caroline’s knowledge and vast experience of the League of Ireland and the Professional game will be an asset to the Board.

 
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Niamh O’Mahony for her service to the Board since her election in January 2023. We wish Niamh well in her future football engagements.”

 
The meeting also elected Aaron Murphy and Trevor Nulty to the Audit, Risk, Finance and Compliance Committee following their nomination and ratification by the General Assembly.

 
President Cooke also urged AGM members to press representatives of all political parties to support FAI funding requests when canvassing begins ahead of the upcoming General Election.

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He stated: “I am calling on you all to grab the opportunity that the upcoming General Election will present to Irish sport. We are engaging with all parties and reminding them that this is Irish football’s time, that we deserve a share of the betting levy, that we deserve the Large Scale and Sports Capital funding that will come our way in the coming weeks. We deserve the investment we are asking for in academies and infrastructure.

 
“Of course we have had issues on and off the field in the recent past. Of course, we will have sporting issues again as a democratic sporting body that touches the lives of more people than any other sport in Ireland. But we, every one of us in this room, have worked hard to ensure the mistakes of the past never happen again and we are doing our best to cement a bright future for the players of tomorrow.

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“All we are asking for in return is support from Government, national and local. All I am asking you today is to amplify that call and repeat it every time your door bell rings and a smiling politician awaits you. They want your vote – please ensure that they know we want their support now more than ever.”

 
Honorary Life membership of the Association was bestowed on Deirdre Clifford, nominated by Bohemian FC, and Liam Fraser, nominated by the SFAI.

 
President Cooke also offered the sympathies of the Association to the families of Honorary Life Member and General Assembly stalwart Dessie Kelly from Donegal and popular Dublin Junior Football figure John Wilkes following their recent passing.

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