Matt McKerrow, the chief executive of Cycling Ireland, has called for the issues within the board of the national governing body to be resolved, adding it was very disappointing for the federation to lose skilled personnel to resignations.
In
his first remarks since the controversy became public in late December, McKerrow
described the “episode” – within the board – in recent weeks “as frustrating
and disappointing for the cycling community in Ireland”.
He
added the members of Cycling Ireland “deserve a leadership which is
unified and shares a crystal-clear vision and plan for the development” of the
sport.
“It
is vital that the issues at board level are resolved conclusively, so that the
company can get on with the business of looking after its members, and growing
cycling across the island,” he said in a statement.
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“We
stand ready to work with Sport Ireland to identify and appoint directors to the
board, reflecting the diversity of our membership. However, it is also crucial
that these directors possess the skills and experience to provide effective
governance and deliver on our strategic plan.
“This
needs to happen as a matter of priority to ensure the continued development and
growth of cycling in Ireland. In this respect we are frustrated and very
disappointed to have lost appointed directors with this undoubted level of
expertise.”
McKerrow added cycling now had a “once in a generation opportunity” to develop considering the current popularity of cycling and the level of investment going into infrastructure for cyclists. Participation in cycling was growing across all age groups and clear leadership was required within Cycling Ireland.
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“We are acutely aware of our responsibility to protect and grow the
sport on behalf of our members and future generations of cyclists,” he said. “Members
are, and always will be, the most important part of our sport and we now need to
redouble our efforts to serve their best interests.”
McKerrow
made his remarks amid a worsening dispute within the board of Cycling Ireland.
It emerged in recent weeks that Cycling Ireland used false quotations when applying
for grants from the Department of Sport in 2020. It was suspended from applying
for any further grants for 12 months, with that suspension now completed.
Sport
Ireland is currently supervising Cycling Ireland in implementing the
recommendations of a report commissioned, by Sport Ireland, after the
controversy.
Last weekend Cycling Ireland president Liam Collins, who was elected late last year, issued a statement to members of the federation saying he planned to resign from his post before the next AGM in November.
He believed the board should step back and allow McKerrow and his team to run Cycling Ireland in the months ahead, calling for the appointed board members to resign and for elected members to resign, like him, before the next AGM. Collins added his call for the board members to resign was no reflection on the individuals. Rather, he believed it would be best for the board to step back for now.
However,
the board issued a statement the following day re-stating its commitment to
working towards the good of cycling and saying it planned to hold an EGM.
Two days ago, three of the appointed board members - Marcus Dowling, Emma Hunt Duffy and Brendan Tallon – wrote to Sport Ireland and said they were resigning, though over a new issue rather than the false quotations controversy. News of their resignations first emerged on stickybottle last evening.
They said in their letter to Sport Ireland they did not
agree with Collins when he said resignations from the board would strengthen governance,
which they believed was a distraction from the governance work they were
undertaking.
