FAI CEO Courell to meet with Siptu workers over redundancies

FAI CHIEF EXECUTIVE David Courell will meet Siptu representatives next week regarding a redundancy programme at the football body. 

Siptu say the meeting will discuss “the threat to implement redundancies without agreement with staff will be discussed, alongside wider concerns about the direction of the sporting body.”

The Siptu meeting will come in the same week as Courell leads an FAI delegation to an Oireachtas Committee to discuss the Association’s safeguarding procedures.

The FAI last month announced a “transformation programme” that they say is necessary to modernise how football is developed and delivered in Ireland, under which they football body are seeking an as yet-unconfirmed number of redundancies. A voluntary redundancy programme opened last week, which will be followed by a compulsory programme. 

Siptu workers have been angered by the fact the FAI have not yet announced the number of redundancies they are seeking, with Courell telling the media last week that the total would be announced following the closure of the voluntary round of redundancies. 

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Siptu workers met with FAI chief operating officer Christina Kenny and HR manager Aoife Rafferty last Thursday, though said afterwards said they were disappointed that Courell did not attend. Courell said following day he could not attend because he was unavailable, telling Off the Ball he had told Siptu he would not be there “well in advance of the meeting.” In a statement today, Siptu claim this is incorrect. 

Siptu also say their members are concerned by recent media interviews in which Courell presented “inaccurate figures on staff numbers.” When the Association’s headcount was raised by Off the Ball, Courell acknowledged he “may not be entirely accurate” in saying the number of employees had increased from circa 220 people in 2019, during the final year of John Delaney’s tenure, to approximately 245 now.  The accurate 2019 figure, per FAI accounts, was 199 people. 

Siptu say Courell failed “to acknowledge that a significant growth in management roles in recent years has impacted the organisation financially.” Asked about the increase in headcount by The 42 last Friday, Courell said these were all necessary and progressive additions to the FAI, citing the hiring of a head of women and girl’s football, along with resourcing the FAI Connect registration system. 

Courell also declined to apologise for a sentence contained within the press release announcing the transformation plan that stated the Association “does not currently have the required framework and specific skillsets to implement vital strategies.” 

Siptu Services Divisional Organiser, Adrian Kane, said, “Our members in the FAI were deeply frustrated last week when we attended a meeting which the CEO had indicated he would attend but did not. This was compounded by his subsequent claim that we had been given considerable due notice of his unavailability. That claim is incorrect.

“Our members have also been concerned by recent media interviews in which inaccurate figures on staff numbers have been presented and a failure to acknowledge that a significant growth in management roles in recent years has impacted the organisation financially.”

“FAI workers, including our members, have devoted their working lives to assisting with the development of football at all levels. Most work daily with grassroots clubs and communities. They are dismayed at their treatment in recent days and again demand sight of the FAI’s so-called ‘transformation plan’ so that it can be assessed on what it proposes and ensure it is based on accurate information.”

Siptu Sector Organiser, Robbie Purfield, meanwhile added, “Our members are rightly appalled at the way this situation has been handled. They remain upset at disparaging remarks contained in an FAI press release which followed its announcement that it was seeking voluntary and, later, compulsory redundancies.

“It is hoped that at the upcoming meeting relations between our Union and FAI management can be reset. This requires the FAI to treat staff with the respect they deserve and to act in line with industrial relations norms on negotiation and the provision of information.”

“That these issues are arising in an organisation in receipt of significant state funding and whose role includes ensuring fair play in Irish football is particularly regrettable.”

The FAI have been contacted for comment.