Niamh O’Donoghue has become the first woman on the FAI’s board of management. Photo: Sportsfile

FAI CEO John Delaney said yesterday that the organisation should continue to "take certain risks" to develop the game in Ireland. Delaney, who was addressing the association's annual general meeting in Kilkenny, said the FAI should have "clear, long-term ambitions for football" in Ireland.

The AGM followed the familiar format of a series of top-table speeches and no interaction from the floor. The meeting also made history when Niamh O'Donoghue was confirmed as a new board member, the first woman on the association's board of management.

The FAI's accounts, sent to delegates last month, showed a record turnover of €50m but the association's liabilities consist of €39m - with €34m related to Aviva Stadium bank debt. The task of reducing that figure has been aided by switching bank business from US-based Corporate Capital Trust (CCT) to Bank of Ireland.

The FAI say they can meet their target of being debt-free by 2020, but that could be achieved at the expense of investing in the game, so the board will meet at the start of next year to decide on a course of action. An alternative approach would be to push the target back and spread Aviva repayments over a longer period.

In that context, the importance of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup was made clear, with Martin O'Neill's side in a strong position heading into their final four qualifying matches.

"Although we do not budget for qualification, to achieve this would obviously place the association in an improved position," said finance director Eamon Breen.

Honorary treasurer and board member Eddie Murray stated: "Should this [qualification] happen by the end of 2017, the financial impact is expected to be significant and will go a long way towards deciding the future financial strategies of the association."

FIFA will reveal the final prize fund for next year's tournament in Russia six months before it kicks off, but it's anticipated that qualification would be worth a minimum of €11m before sponsorship bonuses and other ancillary benefits are factored in.

However, €6.5m of the €11m the association received for making Euro 2016 was eaten up by costs such as bonus payments to management and staff, and travel, accommodation and other tournament-related expenses.

Delaney's speech was general in nature, and there was no reference to problem areas this year such as the dispute with the women's senior team or League of Ireland crises at Bray Wanderers and Athlone. The recently-elected UEFA board member - whose brief with European football's governing body now extends to being chair of youth and amateur football, and deputy chair of women's football - said that the FAI had developed significantly over the past 15 years and that should be a source of pride.

We've come through the most challenging of financial times," he said. "We have clear long-term ambitions for football reflected in our [2016-20] strategic plan.

"We will start a national under 13 league in March 2019 and we need the collective to be strong and unified. To make the next step, all the stakeholders need to work in tandem. We should be proud of where our game sits right now. We will continue to change and improve."

O'Donoghue became a board member after a rule change which created a seat at the table for the chair of the women's football committee, the position she currently holds. The FAI board of management therefore increases from 10 to 11 members.

She gave a presentation on the history of the women's game in Ireland, and hailed the FAI's appointment of Colin Bell as new boss of the senior side. One of Bell's first major jobs was dealing with squad dissatisfaction over conditions that put a friendly match with Slovakia in April in jeopardy. A deal was eventually struck which covered match fees, bonuses, gym memberships and the exclusive provision of tracksuits.

"We have top-level care for the players in camp," said O'Donoghue, a member of FAI council since 1991. "But there are undoubtedly some challenges for us as we move forward and compete with other countries. There's plenty of room in the football family for women and I also think that women will add significant value to the football family. I will do all I can to ensure there are equal opportunities for the involvement of women in all levels and all facets of the game."

Sunday Indo Sport