ANDREW Coonan stepped down from his role as secretary of the Irish Jockeys Association [IJA] this week but the solicitor will continue to be available to represent jockeys and trainers at referrals and appeal hearings.

Describing his 35 years as IJA secretary as “an honour and a privilege”, Coonan reflected on the many important gains the IJA won for jockeys over the past three decades and more. “Setting up the pension scheme was a difficult process but we got there,” he said. “The career-ending insurance and critical illness cover were two other huge developments. We also set up Irish Injured Jockeys, which has gone from strength to strength, and the Jockeys Accident Fund has been revived as a functioning limited company rather than as a charity. Having riding fees increased with inflation was very important, as was the introduction of the sportsperson’s tax relief scheme.

“On a day-to-day level, you’re now seeing riders receive much better educational opportunities and continuous professional development through Horse Racing Ireland. There’s always more that could have been done, and I think there is still room for further amalgamation of various charities, all of which are doing good work.”

Former jockey Emmet McNamara has taken on the IJA executive secretary role on an interim basis. He comes into the job with excellent credentials.

A former champion apprentice, he won the 2018 Epsom Derby on Serpentine and retired from race-riding in 2023. He has worked as an accountant with Coolmore in recent years and also rides out for Conor Hoban in Kildare or for his dad Eric in Rathkeale when possible. He has also competed at an elite level in athletics and frequently appears as an analyst on RTÉ Racing.

McNamara is also part of the management team with Complete Sports Management, an agency established last month which provides a full-service management model tailored specifically to jockeys, covering commercial representation, PR and media, tax and accounts, financial planning, travel logistics, and group partnership deals.

He can be contacted by emailing

secretary@irishjockeysassociation.ie