Dear Member,
My name is Anthony Mitchell from County Down in the Ulster province, standing as a Presidential candidate for Cycling Ireland.
I have been an active cyclist for nearly 40 years....winning a few awards at provincial and national level along the way.
Like so many of us with a passion for our sport, I got roped into taking on jobs in my own club, and through the administration side of the sport I have held numerous volunteer posts at Club, Provincial and National level and have completed by first two-year term as a Cycling Ireland Board member, where among other things I have been instrumental in reviving the National Road Series in its revised format.
I have been involved across all main disciplines of the sport and have worked with Youth riders in Road, Track and Mountain Bike. I have a particular love for the track, where I am a provincial coach, and also continually campaign for improved facilities in Ulster; and see the potential for the proposed Abbottstown development as an exciting period for Cycling Ireland.
Having been on the Board for two years, I have learned a lot about the workings of our sport, and if elected, have ideas as to how we can improve and deliver the best for our members and future champions across all disciplines. A firm commitment to youth development and a clear developmental pathway will see benefits at High Performance level.
If given the opportunity to become President I will continue to work on the delivery our Strategy Document goals and other aspects of the organisation where I believe I can add value.
I believe we would all agree on the need to see an improvement in our communication, both internal and external, and greater membership engagement and clarity to deliver a better service for our growing membership.
I want to see Cycling Ireland continue to grow and develop with the ever changing demands of competition, at both at national; developmental and High Performance level in order to see more Green Jerseys on the podium.
I believe we need to see an expanded programme of events for the domestic-based Elite riders, with the revised National Series in 2015 being the start of a longer term plan to see more Irish representative teams in higher level events outside Ireland.
I am 50 years old, and earlier this year retired after a total of 31 years of Public Service, where again I have gained skills and experience which transfer to the administration of a Sports Governing Body.
I believe I have the passion and energy to take Cycling Ireland forward for the next period of its growth and development, and would therefore ask that you consider supporting my nomination at the AGM.
Experience and background:
As a competitor I have National or Provincial Championship medals spanning the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s.
As a promoter I have organised events at Club, Open, Provincial Championship, National Championship, International, British Championship and World (Police and Fire Games) level.
I have been a Cycling administrator for over 25 years and have held various Offices at Club, Provincial and National Commission and Provincial Executive level, and am or have been a Coach, Commissaire, Moto Marshall, Team Manager and Mechanic.
I have been an active member of the Cycling Ireland Board, and in addition to normal Board activities I have been involved with additional initiatives including sitting on the Audit, Risk and Human Resources sub-committee; input to updating and improvement of the yearbook; staff appraisals; event safety review panel; and have the overarching portfolio of `Development` within the Cycling Ireland 4-year Strategy Document. I am also the Board`s rep on the National Youth Academy and Track Commission.
Regards
Anthony Mitchell