What the FAI need is expertise, competency and integrity – Sarah Keane offers all of that
GIVEN it was his commercial expertise which gave him a decisive edge in getting the job, departing FAI CEO Jonathan Hill had to wait until near the end of his tenure to put that insight to its most fruitful use.
The extension of Sky’s sponsorship of the women’s team to cover the men’s side was announced just weeks before news of Hill’s departure, and the absence of interviews with the CEO on the day the news was trumpeted was an important sign of where his future was heading.
It was widely reported when Hill was chosen as John Delaney’s permanent successor in November 2020 that it was his background in the commercial side of sport, and in particular at the FA, that gave him an edge over his main competition for the job, Sarah Keane.
Backing for the latter came from independent directors on the FAI board, and she also had firm support within Sport Ireland, the Civil Service, and the Government.
Not only had these bodies seen the transformative roles she performed as CEO of Swim Ireland and then president of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, but they also knew that a similar level of expertise in turning around a degraded brand was desperately needed at the FAI.
Keane had shown consistent expertise in bringing vital stakeholders with her, specifically Sport Ireland and the machinery of the State. This is now a main requirement of Hill’s successor – and so it’s little wonder that Keane’s name is being heavily linked with the position again.
The apparent symmetry is more convincing given the news in March that she would step down at the end of this year from her position as president of the OFI.
That will mark the conclusion of two terms in office for Keane, and in keeping with her commitment to best practice in the role, she will step aside after almost eight rollercoaster years.
Her day job remains chief executive of Swim Ireland, which she has held since 2004. She was the first CEO of the organisation, part of a response to sex abuse scandals that left swimming in crisis.
Child welfare became central to the organisation, with recommendations from independent reports implemented. On the basis of this work and its commitment to welfare, Swim Ireland’s reputation was slowly improved, while Keane’s work did not go unnoticed.
What propelled her to public attention, though, was the role she fulfilled on succeeding Pat Hickey in February 2017. The crisis that beset the Irish Olympic movement following the arrest of Hickey at the Rio Olympics made global headlines, and the emergence of details around how the old Olympic Council had been run would echo years later in the FAI debacle.
Keane was elected president despite opposition from lingering elements still loyal to the old guard. In concert with Peter Sherrard as CEO, an overhauled board, and a new focus that put athletes first, a steady turnaround began.
Given that background, it’s no surprise Keane was a prominent figure in the search for Delaney’s successor.
She was interviewed on RTÉ Radio following the astonishing collapse of Delaney’s regime, not as a candidate but as someone with experience of rescuing a sporting institution mired in scandal.
One of her observations was the need for a crisis management committee. The FAI, under heavy Government direction, went through a number of interim leaderships until Hill was chosen, but John Treacy, at the time the CEO of Sport Ireland, spoke in favour of Keane’s expertise in the early days of the FAI crisis.
If he was not necessarily advocating for a permanent role for Keane – Delaney did not officially resign until September, six months after the story broke – Treacy spoke with an enthusiasm and stridency not usually associated with a cautious administrator.
He had seen her impact on Swim Ireland and the OFI up close, and recognised the value of her skill-set to another crisis. ‘What emerged in the Olympic Federation was real leadership and I think that played a huge role,’ Treacy said. ‘People with high standards in terms of corporate governance, transparency, integrity, all those pieces are hugely important.
‘That’s what needs to emerge as we’re going forward, that’s someone to step forward and lead the organisation, and a board to step forward to lead the organisation. And that is possible. Without a shadow of a doubt, that is possible.’ It’s a possibility that still eludes the FAI, however.
There have been reforms, and the governance chaos of the past is being addressed. But a board riven with schisms remains a problem. Competing interests abound, and too many are still consumed by petty politicking. A more significant problem, though, is the failure of the FAI to convince politicians, State bodies and the relevant public servants that a new leaf has been decisively turned over.
The mess around Hill’s holiday pay was personally mortifying for him, but it also dragged the entire association back into mocking headlines.
The struggle to ensure gender balance on the board in line with Government targets was another major irritant to Sport Ireland and around Leinster House.
There has, for some time, been frustration with an organisation that is not moving quickly enough to change – and some of whose members are felt to have short memories when it comes to State support.
Given the past bailout, and the request for hundreds of millions in funding for its infrastructure ambitions, the need for the new leader of the FAI to build strong relations in the political sphere is urgent. Keane has a proven capacity for working with the necessary power-brokers to reform a sporting institution, and this should put her in a strong position this time – if she is interested.
Despite significant board support for her in 2020, Hill had a decisive champion in then-chairman Roy Barrett, based on that commercial nous. The reality was somewhat different, and it will surely be the case that this time around, a candidate with a keen political understanding will be required.
Reluctance to hire an ‘outsider’ was expressed in the past, but what Irish soccer needs is expertise, competency and integrity in the top job.
Keane can provide them, and if she was interested, she wouldn’t lack for backers inside or outside Abbotstown.
Details around how the old Olympic Council was run would echo in the FAI
Keane has a proven capacity for working with the necessary power-brokers