Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE FAI HAS been given more time to achieve gender balance targets for its board, set by the government as a condition for a bailout in 2020.
In return for a State bailout, the FAI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the government. One of its conditions was the reconfiguration of the board.
The FAI voted in December to meet the State’s gender balance requirements. Delegates voted 95% in favour to change the football body’s rules to add another two female members to their board, and meet the government’s demand for a minimum of 40% representation.
This was acknowledged in a report published today by the Minister for Sport, Catherine Martin. It detailed the progress made by the FAI in the implementation of reforms set out in the MOU, including the requirement for gender balance.
The report read: “As of 22 December 2023, the FAI Board had eight male (66.6%) and four female (33.3%) members, albeit on 9 December 2023, the FAI’s General Assembly approved an extension of the board to 14 members which enables the FAI to meet the gender balance requirements in early 2024.”
In total, some 163 recommendations were set out between the 2019 Governance Review Group (GRG) Report, the 2019 KOSI audit and the 2020 MOU.
The report says that 159 out of 163 items (98%) are marked as either “complete” or “phase 1 complete”.
The remaining four items “were not delivered within the agreed timelines”. These items, which relate to gender balance and to the full implementation of the GRG and KOSI recommendations, the report says, can be delivered by the FAI, “within a longer timeline”.
The four outstanding items that remain to be implemented are:
The KOSI recommendations are not included in today’s tracker report due to the “ongoing investigation being undertaken by the Corporate Enforcement Authority into past matters at the FAI”.
“The FAI has made significant progress in implementing very important and necessary reforms since the Memorandum of Understanding was agreed in 2020,” said Martin.
She added: “It is important that the FAI continues to progress the reforms, including gender balance requirements, to ensure a stronger association for Irish football into the future.”
Thomas Byrne, the Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education, said his department would discuss with Sport Ireland the possible need for further support for the FAI “beyond the term of the Memorandum of Understanding”.
The Journal publishes the biggest breaking news in Irish and international sport but for all of The 42′s insightful analysis and sharp sportswriting, subscribe here.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Heros! Here is hoping all come home safe and sound.
One found, in critical condition. SAR continuing for other 3. Thoughts with all their families and colleagues.
Thoughts with their families at this difficult time.Real men and women who put their life’s on the line ever time there is an emergency call made.
@Killian Ryan: Does anyone know whether the crew was Dublin based?
Rescue 116 is Dublin based it was covering for 115.
I always praise the coast guard and rnli crews who do such a dangerous job. Terrible tragedy. Honestly I don’t know why we don’t have a remembrance day for our military and emergency services where every town put on lunch and coffee mornings and everyone says thanks to the local paramedic guard nurse coast guard pilot soldier rnli mountain rescue.
@JOKER: we have a family friend who is a pilot with the Coast Guard, and know some of his colleagues through him. I really hope it’s not him, he has young children. God I hope they’re found alive and that they survive.
Dublin based.
Conditions were near gale force.
Theirs nothing that says anything about gale force in the story . It does say a calm moonlit night
Rescue 116 based at Dublin Airport
Yip They Dublin based ❤
It was said at the press conference. Force 7.
Yes they are
Hopefully…..That’s all anyone can say. These guys are highly trained so hopefully…
Horrible news to wake up to. Irelands real life super heros
The bravest of the brave.
Hopefully all safe and sound.
The worse news possible involving the rescue service hope they return home safely and the person found will survive
Ah no. Hoping all those brave people are OK.
God help them hopefully they will be found safe
The bravest men on planet.Hope they’re found safe and well.They push themselves to extremes
And women
No difference nowadays
Poor souls out helping others & for this to happen. Our rescue services don’t deserve tragedies like this & Catriona Lucas
Terrible news to wake up to. I had no idea helicopters even operated that far offshore. Just terrible, those brave crew.
@Lorcán Ó Broin: That would be very close if not it’s maximum range, IIRC, I think that’s why they request cover. If it’s further out they will request one of the RAF SARs to come and assist in the rescue from the UK, it refuels around the midlands and heads on out that direction. As the newer RAF choppers have a longer range.
@OnTheOutside: Top Cover is provided for all rescue operations either through other 92′s or the CASA’s, think they’ve flown out further using the Oil Rigs to refuel from.
@ontheoutside, the Sikorsky S92 is one of the newest and most capable SAR helis in the world. The RAF most certainly do not have a longer reach. The RAF don’t have a SAR unit anymore and handed over the role to Bristow Helicopters last year.
@David: I won’t disagree with you, as it was a around 2/3 years ago I read about the difference. I am nearly certain they said it had a longer range than most SAR helicopters. It was on Sky1. I looked more into it as I found it odd that a request off the coast of Cork as been fulfilled by a UK SAR rather than our own.
Just out of interest, at the moment, is it just Waterford SAR, now providing cover for the East Coast?
Will the army helicopter now take over R116.
They flew over our house last night, I always stand to watch as they fly over . Awful to think they didn’t make their destination. Hope upon hope that by some miracle they are found safe. God bless them and their families.
@ontheoutside Waterford and Dublin are the East Coast bases and they both use the S92 helicopter. It’s the same helicopter that is now used by Bristow in the U.K. The rescue mission you mention was probably carried out by the UK heli because it may have been closer at the time but not due to better range. The RAF which preceded the civilian operator, used much older and slower Sikorsky S61 helicopters.
The rescue helicopters often fly over us here in the Slieve Bloom Mountains. We just had one pass over on sat. The kids always run out & wave. Awful to think this happens when they helping others. We need to value all our emergency & rescue services more.
@David: Interesting, so both Waterford and Dublin both used the same helicopter, would it be a case down that there is no cover along the east coast?
Two separate helicopters.
Dublin 116 Waterford 117 Shannon 115 and Sligo 118. Also there is a spare helicopter rotated between bases as far as i am aware. So dublin base would still be covered.
Hopefully they’re found safe and well
Hope they’re safe
This is tragic. I really hope they are found safe and well.
These volunteers risk their own lives to save others. Hope they’re all found alive and well
Hope they come hope safe and sound. Reminds me of the Tramore Helicopter Accident, hopefully this will have a happier ending.
The coast guard helicopter crew put on an annual display in Clontarf, their bravery and skills are amazing. Just as they have rescued so many. Let us hope that they are found and brought safely home to their families.
sending a prayer for a good outcome, please God everyone is safe
Aww god we need to find these guy quick. Let’s hope there OK
Heres hoping for a safe return. Amazing peoole doing an amazing job. All heros.
How can anyone in there right minds give red thumbs to the supportive comments on here. Shame on them. These people are our very finest and bravest.
@Brian: The Journal attracts some sad people! They are more to be pitied! Imagine having to give red thumbs to make yourself feel good!
Bravest? Yes, absolutely . they put their lives on the line every day. Finest? Maybe, but how on Earth do you lose a flight that’s only there to provide cover for another helicopter that’s doing the actual rescue?
Might have been en route to support the other helicopter – they wouldn’t necessarily be flying together.
@Brian: It can happen by accident on smart phones when people are just scrolling through the comments. I doubt it is intentional. Lets all hope there is better news about the crew this morning.
@Neal, not Neil.: Could be anything, the 92′s have had mechanical issues globally for example…
@Andy Sinclair: Anyone explain the reds for this? It’s fact that the 92′s have had safety issues, the entire IRCG fleet had safety checks only two months ago due to North Sea issues.
Awful news
Please god all are found safe.amazing work they do life saving,hopefully it can work for them this once.
Pray for these heroes.
Shocking news……
Prayers for the crew.
Heroes all..And safe searching to the new searchers
This is horrific. Hopefully they are found safe and sound.
RTE radio have just reported that rescuers have found one crew member and their condition is critical. Hopefully they find the others soon and they all make a full recovery.
Hopefully everyone is safe and found soon.
P.s. Anyone disliking comments of genuine concern..what’s wrong with you?
Maybe it’s the praying?
@kevin hinchion #YNWA: It’s Journal.ie, sadly it’s not unusual
I think the red thumbs are “most” likely a sad reaction to what is obviously tragic news. Thumbs up r down too basic an opinion! Need more options! I hope I got it right
Only watched this leave the airport last night in work . Fingers crossed they are found safe and well.
What is the latest lads? Any updates? Awful news
Praying for good news from this. Sad to see that basically every comment here expressing best wishes has been red thumbed at least once. What goes on in some folks heads?
@Tír Eoghain Gael: Well I feel proud of them and am heartbroken for the one lady found so far. I know helicopters are intrinsically dangerous because if the engine fails there is nothing to keep it up. Poor families too.
As for the red thumbs down, I don’t think that any contributor would give a thumps down to all the charitable and concerned kind comments on here. I don’t think there is even one Irish person who does not feel sad. The Journal.ie has been doing it for some reason and got caught out with this topic. I have clicked up and down by times and the opposite happened. I have seen instances where several thumps up suddenly went to zero. I don’t trust the Journal.ie. No way but don’t think it is deliberately giving thumbs down here, it just got caught manipulation it. Several are banned from here
Horrible news please God they will be found soon.
Wreckage has been found, shocking news.
The only shred of hope here is that the crew are highly trained and work to only the highest safety standards, let’s hope that the other 3 are found safe and well and the current casualty makes a full recovery
I hope they are found safe and well!!
Thoughts and prayers to the crew and their families, may they be found and reunited with their loved ones. True selfless heroes of our nation.
RTE reporting, one found and three still missing..
Please God bring these Brave people home safe to their families ❤️
Hope the crew members are found safe & well.
Awful news to wake up to. hope these heros are found safe
Such sad news for the nation, rescue crews from around the globe will be feeling this pain. If survivors arent found the state has a duty to their memory and future rescue crews to support families financially.
I’m open to correction, but I believe it’s a sikorsky helicopter. Some models of the sikorsky helicopter were lost on oil rig flights, it was found that a bad design was letting the main gearbox fail due to oil leaks. Main gearbox failure is worse than engine failure, surprisingly enough. Hopefully it’s not another incident like this.
@Mick: Hopefully not, but what a catastrophic event if so and even worse if it’s a known fault that hasn’t been fixed by the manufacture.
That’s the exact model the Irish coast guard use. Just goes to show that mechanical failure can overwhelm the best pilots. Hopefully the rest of the crew are found alive and well.
@Mick: I wouldn’t imagine there is an awful lot you can do if your gearbox fails, even in a car that’s total loss of power to the drive train, only in a car you’r not hoovering above the ground. A failure like that would have devastating outcomes for those inside the aircraft. If this is a known fault and that aircraft wasn’t recalled or fixed then serious questions need to be answered from an air aviation regulation point of view.
The Coast Guard helicopter can be seen regularly in Howth carrying out rescues. The men and women who carry out these duties are highly skilled and trained. With no Mayday call made in this incident, I can only surmise that it must have been a fairly catastrophic incident with brought the helicopter down. This is a very sad day for all in the Coast Guard and their families.
Really hoping for good news on this, these people are so brave.
It’s a new day with new hope….all will be good pg
Far too many speculative posts. The AAIU will in due course ascertain the tragic causes. My thoughts & prayers are with the families, colleagues & friends of those involved.
Isn’t the top cover function supposed to be provided by an Air Corps Casa?
@Eamonn: Think it can depend on circumstances though it should be a question to be answered. I mean the Dublin 92 flying over instead of a CASA seems strange.
Those are the bravest of people..risking their lives for others ,Our though and prayers are with all those concerned & their famalies. . .
Rte1 just interviewed somebody involved in the search who said the person rescued from the sea this morning is still on board the lifeboat conducting the search and arrangements are being made to bring them to hospital. They were found before 7am. Horrendous tragedy. I hope I’m wrong from reading between the lines but that doesn’t sound hopeful for that rescued person at all
And then they say there is a god. No god no f#@king god would do things these poor men
Braver than any soldier or guard.
@Dean Burroughs: you’re an idiot. Try googling the Tramore helicopter accident.
Disaster poor guys out to save someone and this happens
Does anyone else think it’s strange that the lack of news reporting on this crash. Very very strange
So sad to wake up to this news, For the crew that put there life’s on the line every time they go out on a mission to try to save others. I just pray the the one thats found will pull Through .thoughts are with the family members of all the crew
Who the hell is red arrowing all these comments . Sick people.
@seanie: It is very strange, I think its the administration getting caught out because they have been giving thumbs down on other topics. I bet all the red thumbs down will be gone in the morning make a note.
I’d like to believe the Red Thumbs on this tragic story is a sentiment of “sadness” !
So many people couldn’t be so twisted , especially given the circumstances. Thoughts to the Families and friends.
Awful tragedy. Heroic men and woman out saving lives and helping the injured only to have this happen. God bless them
Thoughts and prayers with their families, friends and colleagues
Captain Dara Fitzpatrick’s sister spoke on RTE this morning. Her family had “no regrets where Data is concerned” living her life to the full. Clearly too the family is conscious of public comments! Might some of those who use all occasions to portray their ‘difficulties’ on the normal chart, at least on occasions such as this, think hard before yielding to their impulses and imagine a family member of the crew observing their actions.
Still a lot of red thumbs down. I will now try to give this post a thumbs up and see what happens. There is something going on with the thumbs up and down. Give me a thumbs down and post the fact. On the tragedy, I am shocked and saddened.
Very sad to see our real heroes who risk their lives to save ours
have your say