Former top PSNI officer elected to chair IFA

Mr Martin had been recruited to the IFA board in June this year and was elected unanimously to the top post at a meeting on Thursday evening.

He succeeds leading banker Gerry Mallon who had held the position of chairman since 2015.

“I am delighted to be appointed to lead this ambitious and forward looking board,” he said.

“I’ll be championing football at all levels for the advancement of the game right across Northern Ireland.

“As with all good teams, I look forward to playing my part in the Irish FA’s continued success.”

IFA president David Martin said Mr Martin’s skills and experience will be a real asset in the boardroom.

The new chairman is a lifelong Northern Ireland football fan with vivid memories of the Spain ‘82 and Mexico ‘86 World Cup campaigns.

“That was a fabulous period for Northern Ireland and I’ll never forget it,” he said.

“However, we are in a great place again now and building on our success at Euro 2016. We all wish our new manager Ian and the team good luck for the qualifiers this autumn.”

Mr Martin is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

As a top police officer he had many responsibilities, including overall organisational performance, change management and professional standards.

Mr Martin was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the Birthday Honours List in 2013.

He received an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2018.