Doug Platten appointed Senior Alumni Officer

Doug Platten, Senior Alumni Officer
Doug Platten, Senior Alumni Officer

We are delighted to announce that Doug Platten, a long standing member of the Irish American football community, has been appointed as our first ever Senior Alumni Officer. Doug has been involved in the sport in a variety of roles over the past 25 years; he has sat on many league committees prior to the current structure, he has served as Team Ireland General Manager and has been involved at club level.

Since the sport first started in Ireland in the 1980s, several thousand people have passed through the sport. Over the years, most of these Irish football alumni have drifted off into other walks of life or into retirement, yet many have made significant contributions to the sport in past years. The establishment of an Alumni organisation will allow these past members to reconnect with the sport. For some it will be an opportunity to reconnect with old friends or foes to talk about the halcyon days of the past and for others, it will present an opportunity to get back involved with IAFA going forward.

One of Doug’s roles will be to reconnect with these past members, especially with a special anniversary taking place this year, Shamrock Bowl 30, where we plan to hold a special alumni event in conjunction with the game.

All past members of the sport, be that of the current IAFA organisation or of any of the previous Associations and Leagues which existed in Ireland in the past, e.g. AFAI, Combined Gridiron League, original IAFA, original IAFL, etc., are welcome to join. Those interested should forward contact Doug directly at alumni@americanfootball.ie.