(Cricket news) Cricket Ireland has today announced that Richard Fahey will join the organisation as its Head of Facilities and Operations, a role that will oversee the development and implementation of a new National Facilities Strategy and oversee the day-to-day operations of current facilities and facility partnerships.

Richard has held senior management roles within the Irish sports industry over the last 20 years, including CEO of Tennis Ireland, Director of Club Licensing and Facility Development at The Football Association of Ireland, and has most recently been the interim CEO of Hockey Ireland.

This new role will primarily serve to deliver the high-level objectives outlined in the Cricket Ireland Strategic Plan 2021-2023 which include delivering high-quality playing and practice facilities in each of the major provincial unions, high-quality indoor facilities in each provincial union, ensuring contracted players have regular access to high quality grass facilities, completion of the High Performance Centre indoor and outdoor infrastructure, securing planning permission and funding for the National Sports Campus Stadium Project, procuring an improved range of facilities at international and regional grounds to support our needs (playing and non-playing), securing an increase in cricket clubs accessing grant schemes for capital investment in facilities, and overseeing the provision of high quality community facilities for cricket clubs by local councils.

Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “This is a relatively unique role with a national governing body in Ireland, so we are delighted to have attracted a candidate of the calibre of Richard. His experience and skills in facilities development are exactly what we need as we enter a new era in Irish cricket and will help drive forward numerous programmes outlined as priority deliverables in our Strategic Plan 2021-2023.

“Richard’s appointment is yet another sign of our determination to follow through on the Portas Review recommendations around ensuring the fitness for purpose of our facilities at all levels. In this role he will seek to put in place high-quality playing and practice facilities in each of the major provincial unions, and also progress the National Sports Campus Stadium Project. We have furthermore asked Richard to look at the needs of the regional grounds and support local clubs with their efforts to attract grants and capital investment.

“Given Richard’s background, I don’t think there are many better qualified to deliver on our ambitious programme for growth and upgrade of cricket facilities across Ireland, and we very much look forward to welcoming him aboard.”

Richard Fahey said: “I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into this role. There is a good foundation in place from which we can, with the support of the cricket community and government agencies at local and national level, develop the necessary infrastructure to grow the game and support our high performance players.”

Richard will start the new role on 7 June 2022.

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