David Courell’s primary challenge as the FAI’s new permanent chief executive goal is to ‘unlock’ the potential within Irish football.
Appointed as interim boss in April after the abrupt departure of Jonathan Hill, Courell was confirmed as CEO after a board meeting on Thursday night.
He emerged as the No 1 choice of the directors ahead of Sarah Keane, the Olympic Federation of Ireland President and CEO of Swim Ireland, and Ian Flanagan, the CEO of Munster Rugby.
In his six months holding the fort, Courell came across as a safe pair of hands.
He dealt capably with the fallout to the claims of abuse against former Irish women players, the delayed appointment of Heimir Hallgrímsson as Irish men’s manager, and impressed many at the recent AGM.
Confirmation of Courell’s appointment comes four years to the month since the FAI ratified Hill, ahead of Keane, to succeed John Delaney.
While nothing could compare to the excesses of the wretched Delaney regime, Hill proved a poor choice.
Permitted to travel back to London every Thursday, Hill never established deep relationships within football, while he failed to deliver a new primary sponsor for the men’s national team.
In contrast, Courell moved back to Ireland with his family after his appointment, ironically by Hill, as Chief Operating Officer in February 2022.
‘I came home two years ago as I felt that Irish football had huge unrealised potential and that I could play my part in unlocking it.
‘It is an honour to assume the position of CEO of the FAI on a permanent basis. While there is a lot to do, we also have a lot to celebrate and build upon,’ he said.
A native of Castlebar, Courell graduated from UCD with a Masters in Business Studies and International Business in 2006.
He was previously a management consultant with Deloitte, before moving into the sports industry working across Olympic and Paralympic sport and then the English FA (2017-22).
In October 2006, he spent five months responsible for dealing with forest fires in a government agency in Victoria, Australia.
It’s an ideal prep as there is never any shortage of conflagrations around the FAI.