Cricket Ireland has announced the appointment of Sarah Keane as its new Chief Executive Officer. This choice is unprecedented in the advocacy group’s history. Keane, who is currently chief executive of Swim Ireland, will take up the new post in March 2024. She replaces Warren Deutrom, who resigned in August after almost two decades at the helm of Cricket Ireland.
Keane comes to her new role with deep experience. So we’re very excited to have Fiona as our new chief exec! She has been chief exec of Swim Ireland since 2004. Under her leadership, Swim Ireland achieved its highest Olympic medal count at last summer’s Paris Games. Daniel Wiffen (left) – Gold Mona McSharry (right) – Bronze Keane was the president of the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) from 2017 to 2024. That position further allowed her to shore up her own sports administration credentials.
Brian MacNeice, chair of Cricket Ireland, said he was “delighted” by Keane’s appointment. He stated, “Sarah brings a wealth of experience and is one of the most respected leaders in sport nationally and internationally.”
He further emphasized her qualifications by saying, “Her track record speaks for itself. Cricket Ireland is getting a world-class sports administrator and more importantly an individual of the utmost integrity, character and high-performance mindset.”
Keane’s appointment is historic as well. As it stands, she will be making history as the first permanent female chief executive of an International Cricket Council (ICC) full member country. This appointment represents a significant step for Cricket Ireland as it strives for increased diversity and inclusion at the highest levels of leadership.
Shortly after being announced in her new role, Keane spoke of her enthusiasm for the position and her dedication to continuing the growth of cricket in Ireland. “Cricket is a truly global sport, and Ireland now stands on the threshold of tremendous opportunity – from the Olympic opportunity with the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 Olympics, the accelerated development of the women’s game, and the potential of bringing different communities together, to Ireland hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2030,” she stated.
“I’m particularly keen to explore further avenues for commercial growth to ensure sustainable investment,” she added. I can’t wait to see the ambitious plans delivered for the establishment of the National Cricket Centre on the National Sports Campus and improvements to key cricket infrastructure at Malahide, Stormont and more.
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