Mr. David Courell:

On behalf of the FAI, I thank the committee for the opportunity to discuss safeguarding in Irish football, a key priority for our association. I am here with the president, Mr. Paul Cooke; the chair, Mr. Tony Keohane; our people and culture director, Ms Aoife Rafferty and Ms Kirsten Pakes, our child welfare and safeguarding manager. I appreciate the committee has also requested the presence of Eileen Gleeson and Gareth Maher. Neither of these individuals has a direct role in safeguarding and the FAI is satisfied that the five representatives here are appropriate witnesses to address the committee on matters of safeguarding policy, governance and oversight and that they can represent the association in full.

Safeguarding is the set of policies and practices that protect children and vulnerable people and aims to ensure the 225,000 registered players and 100,000 volunteers in Irish football are safe from any form of abuse, harm or neglect. It requires constant vigilance and shared responsibility across Irish sport including coaches, volunteers, clubs and all NGBs. The FAI is committed to making football safe, inclusive and enjoyable for all. I will share a few key facts about the FAI’s work in this area. The FAI was the first sporting organisation to employ a full-time dedicated safeguarding lead, with a strong team of four now in place. The child welfare and safeguarding committee, established in 2013, oversees policies and decisions in this area. Our FAI Connect football management system links safeguarding prerequisites to coach education and our Club Mark accreditation and League of Ireland licensing require evidence of safeguarding compliance. Last year, the FAI processed 15,000 Garda vetting applications and delivered Sport Ireland safeguarding training to over 6,000 participants. We introduced Raiseaconcern, an independent, confidential service for reporting abuse or inappropriate behaviour. We have recently commissioned a progressive review of our approach to adult safeguarding.

These steps demonstrate how safeguarding is truly embedded into football structures.

The committee will be aware from our recent correspondence that on foot of guidance from An Garda Síochána, and separate legal advice, we have been unable to share certain materials sought and that we are obliged to avoid discussing the specifics of any case. Even discussing correspondence, without naming individuals, can impact a case, especially when the same correspondence has been detailed in media, which has named the individuals involved and has pinpointed it as relating to them.

I would also like to acknowledge the uncertainty over our appearance here today and would like to reassure the committee that no disrespect was intended. It was borne out of a genuine concern that the association has had regarding some of the contradictory messaging we have received about the scope of this hearing. I believe that nobody here today would want to undermine these investigations and the rights of the individuals involved so we hope to proceed today with care and to remain within the stated scope of the agenda.

When concerns were raised following the "Girls in Green" documentary last year, we noted that the robust policies and reporting structures that we now have in place were not in place to protect the individuals affected in that documentary back in the 1990s. The courage of the individuals involved who came forward underscores why this work matters. The FAI also made three clear statements: Nobody should ever feel unsafe in Irish football; nobody should have felt unsafe in the past; and nobody should feel unheard. We stand over those statements here today. Safeguarding is about so much more than process and procedures. It is about protecting people, listening and acting. For example, following historical allegations that came to us, actions undertaken by the association have included: setting up a working group; engaging independent third party specialists; meeting the individuals impacted; establishing support frameworks; and taking precautionary measures to ensure the alleged individuals were not currently involved in Irish football. We also activated a campaign to highlight awareness of unacceptable behaviour and where to report it, and safeguarding has been elevated to be the priority agenda item at each of our board meetings.

We are fully committed to supporting and contributing to any work that advances safeguarding. With that in mind, we urge the committee to review the current Garda vetting process to enable a more efficient, joined-up approach for volunteers across multiple sports. We would be glad to collaborate closely with Sport Ireland to support the committee should they choose to progress this measure.

I will close by saying that safeguarding is a continuous effort. Looking forward, the board and executive are fully committed to ensuring that safeguarding standards continue to be elevated across Irish football. Through robust policies, independent reporting channels, and ongoing collaboration with Sport Ireland and the Government, we are determined to make football in Ireland as safe as it possibly can be today and every day.