Dear Member,
The Board of Cycling Ireland was reconstituted in late February with the support of Sport Ireland and with assistance from the Provincial Councils. We are conscious that there has been some confusion and frustration in connection with recent events and that members have a right to be kept informed. Following a great deal of preparation work, our first full meeting took place on March 21st and we are happy that we are now in a position to provide an update.
At the meeting, the Board confirmed the appointments of Claire Young as Federation Secretary and Tom Daly as Vice-President. In the absence of a President, Tom Daly and fellow Vice-President Conor Campbell will continue to perform those functions until an Annual General Meeting takes place later this year. Helen Kerrane, who served as Secretary of the Leisure Commission, is the newest appointed Board member and brings with her a passion for leisure cycling. The Board members agreed to and signed a code of conduct and made conflict of interest declarations in the interest of transparency and in accordance with the Governance Code for Sport. In addition, with five female members, the Board now exceeds Sport Ireland’s gender balance expectations and possesses the correct blend of expertise to carry out the necessary reforms and address legacy issues.
Key topics of discussion at the meeting included:
- a wide range of policies, procedures and plans for establishing Cycling Ireland as a leader in sports governance which will be an on-going process;
- the independent BDO consultant's report which was commissioned to review a proposed arrangement with EvoPro Racing - the Board is expecting receipt of BDO's report in short order and will provide information on its findings when available;
- the deferral of the invitation to a meeting with the Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media until such time as the BDO independent report is issued in full and our consultation process has concluded to ensure we are in a position to give specific answers and further information on our governance overhaul. The Board reiterated its desire to meet with the committee at the appropriate time to illustrate and reinforce our commitment to reform and accountability;
- the implementation of the Sport Ireland KOSI Audit which was produced following an irregularity in a 2020 sports capital grant application - good progress is being made in implementing these recommendations and, along with other measures put in place, this will help ensure that no such matter occurs again; and
- the support of Cycling Ireland for the 2022 Rás Táilteann – one of the blue riband events of Irish cycling which we are delighted to see back on the road.
One of the key outcomes of the first Board meeting was agreement on a root and branch review of the structures of the organisation to be undertaken at every level to help ensure that Cycling Ireland best serves all of you, our members, our clubs, our fans and the wider cycling community. In order to inform this process, the Board will now undertake a period of consultation with our members, Board sub-committees, commissions, Provincial Councils, and other stakeholders. This is aimed to culminate in a public consultation process on the weekend of 21/22 May 2022.
The Board looks forward to working constructively with you all to establish Cycling Ireland as a leading governing body to best serve the diverse interests of our members and the sport we love. We will be in touch again soon. See you out on the road, tracks and trails.
The Board of Cycling Ireland & Chief Executive, Matt McKerrow.
See Board Member Profiles Here