UCDSU create position of Sports Officer
By Caitriona Farrell | Nov 2 2010
UCD Students’ Union Council passed a motion to create a new executive position. The position of Sports Officer was filled by election at SU Council on 19th October.Business and Law student Brendan Lacey was elected by the SU Council as the first person to take the new office.Lacey told The University Observer that he is “delighted that the role has been created. I’ve been looking froward to seeing something like this in the union for a long time.”Lacey is hoping to make the annual Newman Games bigger than ever, but also emphasised that he hopes not to interfere with the sports clubs that already exist on campus.
There was just one objection at Council to the creation of the office, from Smurfit School os Business representative Gemma McCahill, who is currently studying a Masters in Accountancy. McCahill said: “I opposed the motion because I felt that whilst we need a Sports Officer, the motion was put to Council when I felt it was too vague.”She added: “For me it looked like just creating a postion for the sake of saying we have this position.”Speaking to The University Observer, UCDSU President Paul Lynam said that there is a void where a sports officer should be and that therefore there is a necesity for such an office to be created: “I figure a sports officer fills that gap, that much needed gap that’s there.”Lynam explained that UCD is one of the last universities to create such a role: “Most universities down the country have a sports officer. I think it’s important that we have daytime entertainments through the facility of sports to match the already successful night time entertainment in UCD.”He was also keen to emphasise the gap between daytime and nightime entertainment in UCD, and expressed his belief that a Sports Officer would create daytime entertainment through the “facility of sport” for students between lectures.Lynam hopes that the creation of activities such as 5-a-side football tournaments, pool tournaments and other sports competitions, will encourage student participation in sport on a social and non-competitive level.Lynam is also happy with the benefits the creation of the office will have for the SU, as it is “something proactive we can do with costing too much money.”
There was just one objection at Council to the creation of the office, from Smurfit School os Business representative Gemma McCahill, who is currently studying a Masters in Accountancy. McCahill said: “I opposed the motion because I felt that whilst we need a Sports Officer, the motion was put to Council when I felt it was too vague.”She added: “For me it looked like just creating a postion for the sake of saying we have this position.”Speaking to The University Observer, UCDSU President Paul Lynam said that there is a void where a sports officer should be and that therefore there is a necesity for such an office to be created: “I figure a sports officer fills that gap, that much needed gap that’s there.”Lynam explained that UCD is one of the last universities to create such a role: “Most universities down the country have a sports officer. I think it’s important that we have daytime entertainments through the facility of sports to match the already successful night time entertainment in UCD.”He was also keen to emphasise the gap between daytime and nightime entertainment in UCD, and expressed his belief that a Sports Officer would create daytime entertainment through the “facility of sport” for students between lectures.Lynam hopes that the creation of activities such as 5-a-side football tournaments, pool tournaments and other sports competitions, will encourage student participation in sport on a social and non-competitive level.Lynam is also happy with the benefits the creation of the office will have for the SU, as it is “something proactive we can do with costing too much money.”