Jul 19, 2022
Murphy joins Hockey Ireland, bringing with him a vast range of experience in sports governance, business leadership and strategic planning with over 20 years as a senior business leader.
From 2017 to 2020, he was the CEO of Horse Sport Ireland (HSI), implementing a complete restructuring of the National Governing Body based on the Department of Agriculture’s Indecon report recommendations within a record 10-month timeframe.
In the sporting arena, the highlight included the historic qualification of all three Irish senior equestrian teams for the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.
During his tenure, HSI also devised and established robust, transparent and effective Corporate Governance systems and processes and developed sustainable, multi-annual funding models for the Irish Sport Horse Sector.
Most recently, he has been the CEO of the Irish Limousin Cattle Society which is the approved body to look after the interests of its 2,400 members, covering all aspects of marketing, administration and promotion of the breed. He is also a board member of Dressage Ireland and has recently served as Chair of the European Equestrian Federation EU Committee.
Speaking about the new role, Murphy said: “I am excited to take up the role of CEO with Hockey Ireland as the sport looks to continue its recent growth and rise to prominence in Irish sporting life.
“I see many aspects of hockey in Ireland that we can augment and develop, and I look forward to working with the staff, the board, provinces, clubs, members, sponsors and the grassroots of the sport to implement our strategic ambition and to realise the full potential of the sport across all levels from the very earliest participation and development pathways to delivering championship and Olympic success for Team Ireland. ”
His appointment follows a rigorous selection process over the past few months following Jerome Pels’ move from Hockey Ireland to a role with England Boxing. Between now and October, Nick McElwee will continue in the interim role as Hockey Ireland CEO.
Hockey Ireland chair Trevor Watkins said of his appointment:“We are delighted that Ronan Murphy will head up the team in Hockey Ireland to continue to drive and implement our ambitious strategy and take further opportunities for our sport.
“Ronan’s experience and success in sport and business give him the ideal background to continue the drive to grow hockey in the community and continue our success on the international stage.”
Murphy’s brief will see him continue the implementation of the Hockey Ireland Strategy 2021-2024 and the clear vision to ‘Change the Game’.
The Strategy has a clear focus on the importance of the commercial and marketing functions, aimed at securing the future of the sport, developing a financially secure and commercially-focused organisation that maximises public funding, sponsorship and revenue generating opportunities.
Through this, Hockey Ireland will establish itself as a nationally respected sports brand, communicating with professionalism and passion with its stakeholders.
Murphy will take on the role amid a busy year in which the Irish senior women’s squad outdid their pre-tournament ranking at this summer’s World Cup and look forward to European Championship qualifiers and the FIH Nations Cup.
The senior men have a similar schedule with Euro qualifiers in August and the FIH Nations Cup in the winter while an exciting national season is just around the corner with several new clubs continuing their growth with Hockey Ireland support.
Jun 30, 2022
We are delighted present our members with our 2022 Member Survey which has been created in partnership with the research team at Sport and Recreation Alliance UK. The member survey is intended to be taken by all 110 members of the Federation of Irish Sport.
Usually, we conduct a member consultation every 2 years. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the survey was not undertaken last time. This means it is 4 years since a survey of this type has been given to our members. Surveys such as this one are fundamental to membership organisations like ourselves. They ensure we have a comprehensive understanding of who our members are (their profile), the main priorities across the membership, the level of satisfaction with the services provided in return for membership, and what members want from FIS moving forward.
Further, one of the key challenges we face is understanding how Covid-19 has impacted us as a sector, and we can do to support the recovery from the pandemic. Part of this understanding involves developing and evidence base with which to demonstrate the impact. As such, several of the questions will ask members to report on the change in their ‘position’ from before the pandemic to today.
To reflect the above the survey is broken down into 3 principle sections:
– About your organisation
– Satisfaction with the Federation of Irish Sport
– Future priorities
We would like to thank our members in advance for their time in contributing to this valuable consultation. The results of this survey will be used to shape FIS’ activities over the next 2-4 years and provide valuable evidence bases on which to build our asks of government.
Jun 10, 2022
The Federation of Irish Sport is pleased to announce that it is conducting it’s bi-annual member survey in partnership with Sport and Recreation Alliance UK Research Team. This important membership consultation will provide us with the most current feedback on topics such as membership, staffing, governance, funding, impact of Covid-19 and evaluation of services provided by the Federation. This research will enable us an organisation to understand what are the most relevant issues and challenges facing National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships. The insights gained will also assist the Federation in making the best representation to Government on behalf of our members. It is also an opportunity for members to give their feedback on the services provided and value offered by the Federation and where improvements can be made. The member survey will be circulated to member national governing bodies and local sports partnerships the week commencing the 27th June.
Pictured at Irish Sport HQ: Dion Barnaby, Richard Boardman, Sport and Recreation Alliance UK and Mary O’Connor CEO Federation of Irish Sport, Graham Russell, Head of Sport Louth Co. Council and Board Member of Federation of Irish Sport.
Richard Boardman, Research and Development Manager at the Sport and Recreation Alliance said: “This project represents a great opportunity to share ideas and expertise with equivalent organisations overseas. It enables us to apply the knowledge gained from our own member survey, and industry best practice to ensure the Federation of Irish Sport has the best possible insight and intelligence with which to shape its offer to members.
Our initial consultation sessions have been very constructive and we look forward to delivering a high quality piece of research”
The Sport and Recreation Alliance believes that the power of sport and recreation can change lives and bring communities together. Together with over 300 members and in partnership with the wider sector, they make the most of opportunities and tackle the areas that provide a challenge. The Sport and Recreation Alliance R&D team was established 2 years ago. In that time the team has delivered major pieces of research on behalf of the Alliance, including; the impact of Covid 19 on community clubs, the social value contribution of movement and dance to sport and physical activity and a ‘current position summary’ of research on trans, non-binary and inter-sex athletes in sport. As the voice of the sector in the UK, they work with Government, policy makers and the media to make sure grassroots sport and recreation grows and thrives.
The CEO of member organisations of the Federation of Irish Sport will receive the survey directly later this month. We would ask that members support this important piece of research as a greater response rate will lead to greater insights, which will in turn benefit the sector as a whole.
Jun 2, 2022
This year the Federation of Irish Sport hosted the return of the Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce at The Westin Hotel on May 17th. We are delighted to share with you a flavour of the awards night and this special gathering of the sports sector.
The Federation of Irish Sport comprises 81 National Governing Bodies and 29 Local Sports Partnerships. Representing over 70 different sports, ranging from mass participation to niche sporting activities, our members also include multi-sport organisations such as the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Community Games, Vision Sports Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland, Paralympics Ireland, Irish Wheelchair Association Sport, Triathlon Ireland, Deaf Sports Ireland, CARA Sport, Student Sport Ireland, Ireland Active and Pentathlon Ireland.
As The Voice of Irish Sport, one of our key goals is to promote the multifaceted benefits of participation in sport and physical activity. The annual Irish Sport Industry Awards provides a platform for us to celebrate the economic value of sport to the country. The awards also recognise those contributing across the sports industry from governing bodes, sports partnerships, rights holders, sponsors, PR agencies, media, key stakeholders to those in the business of sport. We’re already excited about next year’s event!
