Jim Gavin for Irish President is the next logical step for GAA icon

The former Dublin boss and FRC chair is being courted by Fanna Fáil for a potential presidential bid – a move that won’t come as a surprise to those who have followed his career

The news that Jim Gavin is being courted by Fianna Fáil for a potential presidential bid won’t come as a surprise to many who have followed his career.

In many ways it seems like the next logical step for the 54 year old.

First he dominated for Dublin GAA, one of the biggest and most iconic sporting brands in the country.

Then he went after the very game itself. What’s left to do now, apart from conquer the country.

Gavin’s achievement in landing the fabled All-Ireland five-in-a-row outdid legendary figures like Mick O’Dwyer and Brian Cody, who couldn’t quite manage it.

And he did it strategically, putting in the ground work with Dublin underage sides, landing an All-Ireland under-21 title before taking over as senior manager.

None of it happened by chance. But not content with that, Gavin, at the behest of GAA President Jarlath Burns, has since gone on to tackle the very game itself.

You couldn’t say he saved Dublin GAA, but many believe he has saved Gaelic Football, one of our national games.

With scoring rates going through the roof and a general consensus that the entertainment value of the product has risen considerably, Gavin’s popularity and credibility are at an all time high and his name as well known as it’s ever been.

Again, it didn’t happen by chance. Anything but, in fact.

The process Gavin and his Football Review Committee (FRC) followed – and continue to follow was – and is – meticulous.

Everyone in the GAA was given a say, and while there’s little doubt that it was Gavin and his FRC committee members that ultimately decided everything in relation to the new rules, the rigour of the process they followed was highly impressive.

The GAA might one day make a film called ‘Congress Day,’ such was the barely believable whitewash which unfolded at Croke Park last year, as rule after rule was passed to gasps from the floor, with almost every one of them gathering a 90percent plus vote.

The process Gavin and his committee followed meant they couldn’t fail.

They sold the need for change and their wide range of solutions. The delegates couldn’t get enough of it.

Countless hours were spent on the road presenting to the County Boards, who would vote on Congress day. Clever and strategic.

So called ‘Sand Box’ games to trial new rules were held all over the county. Gavin chaired endless FRC meetings. All the major stakeholders were consulted. The public could fill in a survey.

And the process is still ongoing. Rules changes that weren’t working were tweaked, and are still being adapted. Gavin is nothing if not dogged in his determination to get it right.

Previous attempts at tackling the cynicism and turgid fare, which had blighted Gaelic Football for a decade, weren’t anywhere near as rigorous.

They were more tweaks that never really got at the fundamental issues hindering the game.

The strategic bigger picture thinking and courage required to first recognise the need for seismic change and then to pull it off is part of Gavin’s legacy.

Persuading the GAA to give over an entire National Football League for experimentation showed the sway Gavin holds – and his understanding that the new rules had to be trialled in a proper competitive environment with something at stake.

Transforming football, and there is still a little way to go, will be a huge part of Gavin’s legacy.

He brought almost everyone with him and made them feel a part of the process – whether they really were or not – and that’s why he may well have the tools required for a run at the Áras.

He has already dipped his toe into politics in his role as Independent Chairperson of the North East Inner City Programme Implementation Board since 2023.

Gavin also served as Chair of the Dublin Citizen’s Assembly (2022-23), appointed by Micheal Martin.

He presented recommendations to the Oireachtas about the powers, structure, and funding of a potential directly elected mayor for Dublin.

This is a big step though and one you can be sure someone as methodical as Gavin will weigh up carefully.

If it is an ambition of his, and he needs another fresh challenge, he may never get a better chance with the field of candidates not exactly earth shattering and his profile at an all time high.