Brendan Hackett to step down as Athletics Ireland CEO

Athletics Ireland has announced that CEO Brendan Hackett informed the Board of Athletics Ireland last night that he will not be seeking a renewal of his contract as CEO. Hackett is in the final year of a three year contract. Michael Heery, President of Athletics Ireland; “Athletics Ireland would like to thank Brendan for all the excellent work he has done over the past three years. He has overseen a very successful period in Irish athletics and we wish him all the best for the future. “Athletics throughout the country is now as strong as it has ever been and it is a very exciting time for the sport. We will be sending a very strong and young team to Beijing in August and the talent coming through our youth system is excellent. With the Olympics taking place in London in four years this gives us something to build towards and the future is extremely bright for athletics in Ireland. “Brendan has helped Athletics Ireland achieve its goals of moving the sport forward and now we hope that the appointment of a new CEO will again bring Irish athletics to a new level,” Heery concluded. Hackett felt it was a good time to pass on the baton as Athletics Ireland and athletics in general is in good shape and there are exciting times ahead. “The next contract is likely to run to the end of 2012 and I am not in a position to make that commitment at the moment. I have enjoyed my term as CEO and I will still be involved in the sport for many years to come”, stated Hackett. There have been significant changes in the structure of the Association and in the sport of athletics in the past couple of years. These changes include moving to new offices in Santry, additional sponsors coming on board and increased funding from the Irish Sports Council. There has also been a new Coach Education Programme established along with a new team of staff working within the Association. Hackett believes that much of the work done is now beginning to bear fruit. “At international level we have 14 athletes in the top 50 on the world ranking lists. The Athletics Ireland High Performance Programme, supported by the Irish Sports Council, has contributed to this. Irish international teams at all levels are also performing well under the guidance of five excellent team managers. The development of the next generation of athletes is well advanced with over 500 of the country’s best young athletes engaged in a regional coaching programme”. Hackett will continue in the position until the end of April. A new board and President will be appointed in April, while Athletics Ireland will now initiate the process for the appointment of a new CEO.