FSE is pleased to announce that Niamh O’Mahony has joined the Office as Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Head of Governance. Niamh brings with her a wealth of professional experience in the world of football, communication, and sports governance.
Hailing from the Irish city of Cork, and a big fan of supporter-owned Cork City FC, Niamh served on the club’s board for four years between 2010 and 2014. Around the same time, she was the project manager on the ‘Improving Football Governance through Supporter Involvement and Community Ownership’ preparatory action in Ireland, which brought together supporters from across League of Ireland clubs in a formal way for the first time.
Niamh was amongst those to establish the Irish Supporters Network (ISN), which represents fan-owned clubs, supporters’ trusts, and organised supporters in League of Ireland football and was nominated as one of two supporter representatives to FAI Council following the association’s governance review in 2019. ISN, alongside fellow FSE members CRISC and YBIG Mandate, work within FAI structures under the banner of the Irish Football Supporters Partnership (IFSP) and continue to advocate for improvements to the match day experiences for both domestic and international supporters alike, while ISN also brings together Ireland’s football cooperatives and community-owned clubs.
Commenting on her new role, Niamh said:
“Having seen the incredible work that supporters do for each other, for their clubs, and for their national teams across Europe, I’m really delighted to be able to join the FSE team and work with groups that are committed to making the lives of football supporters better, everywhere they go. Supporters are the heart and soul of football and should have a meaningful and constructive impact at all levels of the game.”
Meanwhile, Martin Endemann’s role will evolve from Senior Project Manager to Head of Policy. Martin has been with FSE since 2012 and will focus on FSE’s overall strategy and partnerships, including our work on Uefa competitions, human rights, diversity, and anti-discrimination.