Irish FA 'in a very good place' - new president McKendry

New Irish FA president Colin McKendry says he believes the association is well placed to meet the challenges ahead as he prepares to succeed Conrad Kirkwood in the role. The former Coleraine chairman was elected to the position at an Irish FA council meeting after the IFA's AGM on Monday night. McKendry spent 16 years on the Bannsiders' board, 14 years of those as chairman, and has also been an Irish FA board member since 2021 and served as vice-chair of the Northern Ireland Football League. "We've got Michael O'Neill, who is signed up on a long-term contract. We have a number of very good young lads coming through," said McKendry in an interview with BBC Sport NI's Thomas Kane. "We also have Michael McArdle as the new senior ladies' manager and we look forward to those teams and all the junior teams coming through as well." "From a footballing aspect I would like to see that we have now qualified for another major competition, both senior men's and ladies, and we have a very exciting project in the National Football Centre which will be the biggest expenditure that the Irish FA has had I believe, outside of the stadium [National Football Stadium at Windsor Park]." The incoming president said he was "honoured, humbled and privileged" to be stepping into the post, which he saw primarily as "an ambassadorial role, representing the footballing people of Northern Ireland". McKendry added that he would be keen to see the funds from the Northern Ireland Football Fund distributed as soon as possible. "We'll be pushing very, very hard from an Irish FA president's position, but for all of football we'll be pushing very hard. "Football starts at the grassroots and we have to be looking at all of football. "We'd like to see some movement on that and hopefully we can in the very near future."