Former Mayo footballer Tom Parsons has been appointed the new CEO of the Gaelic Players association succeeding Paul Flynn.
The two time Connacht winner announced his retirement from inter-county football earlier this year and has previously served on the executive committee since 2017.
Parsons joins the GPA from Jacobs (a professional and technical solutions company) having joined them in 2012 and, more recently, held the position as the Culture Manager for Europe.
Parsons is a Chartered Engineer and an ambassador for Engineers Ireland, speaking regularly on the importance of positive mental health and high-performance culture.
Delighted and honoured to be appointed to serve as CEO of the @gaelicplayers. Really excited to serve our amazing male and female players to the best of my ability ? https://t.co/akMJxhkNQK
— Tom Parsons (@TomParsons_8) May 21, 2021
“I am absolutely delighted and honoured to be appointed as the CEO of the GPA” said Parsons in a statement. “I truly believe in the great work of the Association and, from personal experience, the GPA has supported me in my sporting, personal and professional life since my debut with Mayo in 2008”.
“As a player, I feel I have experienced nearly all the challenges, highs and lows a player can face. I know how important it is to have an association that unconditionally cares for every player”.
“I’m committed to build on the great work of our previous CEO Paul Flynn and I’m privileged to have the opportunity to work with a dynamic, dedicated team in the GPA who have the player at the heart of all decisions”.
“A huge motivation for me was the decision by players to merge the GPA and WGPA in December of 2020. I feel this truly represents the leadership of our male and female intercounty players and I’m committed to serve the voice of all our players to the best of my ability. I look forward to taking up the position later in the summer.”
Chairman of the GPA Board of Directors, Prof. Brian MacCraith, added; “On behalf of the Board of the Gaelic Players Association, I want to express our great delight at securing the services of a person of the calibre of Tom Parsons to take up the position of CEO”.
“Tom takes on this role at a crucial time for the Association, following the recent, historic merger with the WGPA”.
“Tom has worked extremely hard on behalf of inter-county players in his various roles within the GPA to date and we are looking forward to seeing that continue and develop further as he leads the GPA in the important years ahead.”
The GPA confirmed that Ciarán Barr will continue as Interim CEO until Tom takes up the position as CEO and will then return to the role of Head of Finance and Operations.
