ED Byrne has confirmed that he will allow his name to run again for the position of Assistant Secretary of the Donegal County Board.
The post was unfilled at last month’s annual convention.
Killybegs clubman Byrne, beaten in a vote for the Vice Chairperson’s role by Seamus Ó Domhnaill, withdrew his candidacy for assistant secretary on the night.
However, Byrne has had a change of heart.
Former Development Officer David McLoone is also in the hunt for the job.
The assistant secretary’s post, which Byrne held during a challenging 2020 carries the portfolio of secretary of the Competitions Controls Committee (CCC), the body which sets the fixtures schedule in the county.
“At the time of Convention, I felt that people wanted a change on fixtures,” Byrne told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub.
“When I didn’t get the vice chair, I felt that was an indication of people seeking change.
“I have been contacted by a lot of people since who felt that I would have automatically taken on the assistant secretary job again.”
Byrne says that some changes will be needed to CCC procedure in 2021, with the issuing of disciplinary notices among the chief measures to address.
There is as yet no concrete confirmation of the GAA’s plans for 2021 with Covid-19 remaining a live issue for planners. However, the inter-county season is expected to get underway in March while the club campaign is not likely to go ahead until the summer.
The Donegal CCC has undergone some high profile changes.
Ó Domhnaill has replaced Frankie Doherty as the CCC Chair while assistant secretary Paddy Tinney and intermediate club rep Fiona Shields have also departed the committee.
Byrne said: “The team around you is important and losing three people at the same time was a big loss. Fiona, for example, would have filled in for me when I was away, and she did five years on the CCC.
“Experience counts on the CCC so I think now it’s important that we keep some continuity.”
Byrne certainly brings experience and helped guide the fixtures calendar through the most testing and unprecedented of waters in 2020.
The Donegal SFC final between Naomh Conaill and Kilcar remains outstanding as does the IFC relegation play-off between Naomh Colmcille and Naomh Ultan.
Byrne said: “What made me change my mind was speaking to several people over Christmas. I spoke to some club players, club officials and they asked if I would reconsider. I also spoke to some CCC members who indicated that they felt I would automatically be there.
“I said a year ago that if someone was prepared to shadow me that I would happily step down the following year – and the same would apply now.
“The biggest one was talking to my family.”
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