from AAI website Big majority in favour – Updated An EGM of the Association took place this Saturday in the Sheraton Hotel in Athlone in which the membership voted comprehensively in favour of incorporating as a company limited by guarantee. This saw the culmination of a year’s work by the current and previous Finance & Risk Committees. The Board proposal to incorporate was initially presented to the membership at a General Meeting in November 2007. This was followed by a number of provincial meetings at which the proposal was presented in further detail and feedback and suggestions were taken from the membership. At the April 2008 Congress, the membership endorsed the principle of moving to a company limited by guarantee by agreeing to consider the issue in detail at an EGM which took place last Saturday, November 8th.
At the EGM, the Chair of Finance and Risk, Gerry Giblin explained how the draft Memorandum and Articles (which will replace the current Constitution) not only preserve the democratic integrity of the Association, but in fact, they give added protection to this fundamental principle. The benefits of moving to this structure include limited liability for directors where there is no personal negligence and generally indicate stronger governance which in the current environment is an attractive proposition for current and prospective financial contributors to the sport – both Irish Sports Council and potential sponsors. It is also an important step in an organisation that now employs almost twenty staff.
After a morning of debate at which the Chair of Finance and the legal adviser, Chetwode Hamilton from Arthur Cox addressed all questions arising, the vote was taken just before lunchtime. A two-thirds majority was required to make the change. In fact, over 80% of those present voted in favour of the change and this strong endorsement from the membership is very positive.
In the second session, a number of motions were presented that dealt with some issues that can be viewed as a “tidy-up” of the Constitution where it is silent on specific points or there is ambiguity. These motions were all passed.
Once Standing Orders finished, the last business of the day was a report from CEO Mary Coghlan. This gave an outline of the work that has been carried out in the various areas over the last six months. It covered the areas of High Performance, Coaching, Development, Competition, Commercial & Marketing and various other initiatives.
The Board would like to express its thanks to the membership for their positive engagement with the issues put to them on the day and also to the Chair of Finance & Risk and the Standing Orders Committee which included Terry Hayes and Padraig Griffin for the work completed which added invaluably to a good day in Athlone.
