Published: Wednesday, 25th August, 2010 5:00pm

McCaul takes reins at FAI

PADDY McCaul was officially elected, as expected, to the role of President of the Football Association of Ireland at the organisation's AGM in Wexford.

The 54-year-old Athlone businessman served as vice-president of the organisation since 2007, and replaced outgoing president David Blood in the hotseat of Irish football.

However, McCaul took the reins on the same day the FAI announced bleak figures regarding a debt of €38 million in the wake of the construction of the AVIVA Stadium in Lansdowne Road.

FAI President John Delaney confirmed at the meeting in Wexford that only 6,000 Vantage Club tickets were sold for the new Aviva Stadium, as a debt of €38million was revealed by the organisation.

Delaney - who Paddy McCaul will be expected to work in tandem with over the next couple of years - had targeted selling 10,000 of the ten-year Vantage Club tickets, but 4,000 remain unsold.

However, the FAI hope to have the debt on the Aviva Stadium cleared by 2020, Mr Delaney said at the meeting.

The organisation also reported an operating surplus of €5.2 million for 2009, but Mr Delaney's position as Chief Executive of the FAI was given a big endorsement by delegates at the meeting.

McCaul is a former long-serving chairman of Athlone Town FC, and was also chairperson of the League of Ireland for two years from 2005.

Speaking about his imminent appointment last week, McCaul said: "It's an exciting challenge and one I very much look forward to. I've enjoyed my role as vice-president since 2007, and feel I learned a lot during that period.

"It's going to be a change for me but one I'm excited about taking on".

A businessman of repute, Paddy's involvement with two of the best known businnesses on Athlone's Connaught-side - the Palace Bar on St. Peter's Square and the Shamrock Lodge Hotel - has made him a popular figure among Athlone's business community.

Prior to his involvement with the FAI, Paddy spent over ten years on the committee of Athlone Town FC, and occupied the role of chairman for the majority of that period.

However, McCaul's delight at his election to president of the association fades into insignificance when he speaks about the tragic death on early Sunday morning of fellow Athlone man John Sherlock, who attended the FAI AGM in Wexford on Saturday, and was vice-chairman of the FAI Junior Council, as well as secretary of the Roscommon & District Football League.

The late Mr Sherlock died following a tragic road accident near Lecarrow on Sunday morning, and Paddy McCaul has led the tributes to his fellow football stalwart.

Speaking to a national newspaper on Monday, McCaul said: "The entire football community is in shock at the news of John's death. He was a tremendous worker and was the driving force behind the Roscommon League and the development of their headquarters. He also made a tremendous contribution to the game at provincial and national level, and I worked with him on the FAI Development Committee."

FAI Chief Executive John Delaney said: "John leaves behind a tremendous legacy from his contribution to football at local, provincial and national level. His untimely death has robbed Irish football of a great man. My thoughts are with his family and I offer them my sincere sympathy on their loss."

Sean Corcoran, chairman of the Roscommon & District FL, described John as "central" to the development of the sport in Roscommon over recent years. "He was far more than just a secretary, he was a great friend to everybody," said Mr Corcoran, who also extended sympathy on behalf of the league to the Sherlock family.