UPDATE: SFAI Council Meeting 14th December 2019
The SFAI has today agreed at their Council meeting in the Carlton Hotel at Dublin Airport, to put forward SFAI Executive Committee member and DDSL Chairman Paddy Dempsey as their nominee for the FAI Board.
The seat was made vacant this week after SFAI Chairman John Earley resigned from the FAI board with immediate effect, as confirmed in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Dempsey will go forward as the SFAI’s nomination within the constituency of Schoolboys/Schoolgirls, with the representatives of schoolgirls football entitled to put forward their own nominee.
This will result in one of those two people being nominated by the constituency to go forward to the FAI Board.
Mr Dempsey is a former National and UEFA referee up until 1999, before he returned to Schoolboy football in 2000.
He is currently the Chairperson of the largest Schoolboys’ league in Europe, with 25,000 young players from age seven to 18 years of age.
He is a member of the Schoolboys Football Association of Ireland Executive Committee and Rules Commission, while he is also a member of the FAI Senior Council.
Speaking today, Mr Dempsey said: “I’m delighted to be nominated by my peers at today’s SFAI Council meeting.”
He continued: “The SFAI represents the interests of 31 schoolboy leagues in Ireland, with over 120,000 players under their umbrella.
“Grassroots football is the base for all football in this country, and as the SFAI represents and works on behalf of the majority of grassroots players, representation at FAI Board level is crucial.
“Should I go forward as the representative from the constituency of Schoolboys/Schoolgirls, I will represent all grassroots players, both boys and girls, and their clubs and leagues, with equal measure.”
The SFAI Council meeting followed the draws for the SFAI Skechers National Cup Round of 32 which took place on Friday night.
All five draws covering the U12 to U16 competitions were live streamed, and to date, more than 15,000 people have viewed the streams.
The competition, sponsored by Skechers, has grown considerably in recent years, with the introduction of 40 regional finals to ensure children playing the game at a grassroots level have the opportunity to represent their clubs at both national and regional level.
The SFAI EGM scheduled to take place today was deferred until a later date.
