Boardroom changes confirmed at Shamrock Rovers

Shamrock Rovers confirmed over the weekend the appointment of Ciarán Medlar as the new independent Chairperson, along with the departure of Brendan Murray from his CEO role at Rovers.

As independent Chairperson Medlar will take over from outgoing Chair Jonathan Roche at the end of the season. The Hoops had agreed to appoint an independent chair as part of investment made by Dermot Desmond in the club.

Last year the club’s membership voted to allow the financier become a 25% shareholder in the club on the back of a seven figure sum investment.

Medlar is a partner and the Head of Taxation Services with BDO Ireland leading their dedicated BDO Sports Advisory Unit which advises sports professionals, clubs and National Governing Bodies. He established the unitin 2005 and is also a season ticket holder with the Hoops. 

His appointment follows a recruitment process by Amrop, which attracted ‘a very strong panel of interested candidates’ according to the club. 

Roche will continue as a director at Rovers and chair of the members club. He became club chairman following the joint takeover between the 400 club fans group and Ray Wilson 15 years ago. 

A club statement noted ‘we would like to put on record our gratitude to Jonathan who has been at helm of the club from Examinership in 2005 through to the opening of Tallaght Stadium in 2009 and the transformative development of the Academy. He will continue his active involvement in the continued development of the academy and facilities at Roadstone’.

The club confirmed that their CEO Brendan Murray has decided to step down from his role at the club at the end of this month and a recruitment process is set to begin to appoint his successor.

‘The board of Shamrock Rovers would like to place on record its gratitude and appreciation to Brendan for the role he has played at Shamrock Rovers during his almost five years at the club. In this time we have significantly strengthened both the club’s on and off field operations and invested in our training and academy facilities at Roadstone. 

‘Brendan played a key role in arranging Mr. Desmond’s investment in the club in 2019, which has allowed for the continuation of the club’s strategic priorities into the future.’