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Elizabeth 'Liz' Howard (Éilís Níc Iomhair) was the 27th president of the Camogie Association.^[1]

Background

From Deerpark, Carrick on Suir, County Tipperary, the daughter of Limerick man, Garrett Howard and Josephine (née Barry) from Newtown Nenagh, Garrett, won five All Ireland medals and was awarded the Bank of Ireland All Time All Star Award. Her mother's uncle Frank McGrath played with the famous Toomevara Greyhounds and Tipperary and later went on to become Chairman of Munster Council GAA. Her home club is now Burgess GAA club in Tipperary. Under the guidance of her parents she and her sisters started a camogie club in Feakle Co. Clare, this led to a revival of camogie in East Clare. Her sister Jo played for Clare and Tipperary while her brother Garry played for Tipperary U21 hurlers. Her niece, Sheena Howard, holds senior All Ireland camogie titles with Tipperary While her nephew Garrett won Harty Cup and All Ireland College titles with St. Flannan's College, Co. Clare.
Liz played camogie with Clare, Tipperary and Dublin; won a Munster Championship and National League (inaugural year 1977) with Tipperary, two Leinster Junior Championships with Dublin. She was a member of the famous Celtic club in Dublin, a club that provided seven presidents of the Camogie Association. Liz Howard played on the Tipperary team that won the first ever National Camogie League, beating Wexford in the inaugural replayed final in 1977.

Strategic Plan/ Presidency

During the presidency of Miriam Callaghan Liz, Sile Wallace, Jo Golden and Sinead O Connor developed the Strategic Plan 2004–2008, this was the template to grow and develop camogie. It was Miriam O Callaghan who asked Liz to get back directly involved with camogie. Following her election as President liz initiated an indepth review of the Association to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Camogie Association. This was carried out by Atlantic Sports Management and funded by the Irish Sports Council. The review led a six-year National Development Plan, launched at Annual Congress in Newbridge in March 2010. This led to a new Constitution for the Camogie Association ratified at a special Congress in 2010. She focused on raising the profile of the Association, promoting the stars of the game, developing the game itself, growing the sport working with Sinead O Connor Chief Executive of the Association. Using her professional HR experience, a vibrant and professional full-time Development and administrative team was recruited. RTÉ came on board to include camogie on The Sunday Game, TG4 televised the Junior All Ireland for the first time and general media coverage grew. She was instrumental in replacing the O Duffy Cup with a magnificent new one. At the end of her presidency she said that the sport can grow even more.^[2]

She worked closely with the GAA. Her previous role as Tipperary GAA PRO benefitted camogie as she was able to network with her many contacts, with the particular support of Liam O Neill (Chairman of Leinster GAA Council) and Nickey Brennan (President of the GAA) agreed the twinning of the All Ireland senior and Junior Camogie finals with the U 21 All Ireland Hurling finalIn Croke Park, an arrangement that lasted from 2006 to 2009.^[3] This helped raise attendance to record levels, peaking at 33,154 for the 2007 final between Wexford and Cork.^[4]

New sponsorship deals was signed with Gala, O Neills and Coillte; Bursaries for Third level players were launched.^[5] With the Chief Executive she forged strong links with the Irish Sports Council and initiated links with Sports Partnerships and local Authorities.

In 2007, she suggested that camogie be renamed "'women's hurling."'^[6]

Broadcast

When RTÉ introduced the GAA programme The Sunday Game in 1979, Howard was the first and only female analyst on the programme. While her appointment initially led to comment, she soon proved to be a well informed, incisive and respected analyst.^{[citation needed]} She was and continues to be a regular contributor to both TV and radio programmes, including The Championship, and was a panel member on the special Late Late Show to mark the centennial of the GAA 1984. She had a weekly column in the local Tipperary provincial papers during her time as Tipperary GAA PRO.

GAA PRO

She served as Tipperary GAA PRO for 22 years (1981–2003, with the excen of 1983). She was the first woman to be elected as an officer of the Tipperary County Board.She brought a professional approach to the role and became the best known female within GAA circles. She incurred the wrath of Ger Loughnane in 1998^[7] but Liz viewed it with amusement as a typical Loughnane smoke screen to divert pressure from his team. Joe Mc Donagh President of the GAA appointed her as chair the Increased Participation Committee ( to develop greater involvement of Camogie and Ladies Football with the GAA). She served as a member of the GAA Communications Committee during the presidency of Dr. Mick Loftus. She also served a Member of the Munster Council PR Committee.

Awards and Personal life

In January 2010 she received the award for National Administrator of the Year at the inaugural Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport.^[8] She was chosen as Tipperary Person of the Year in 2007 and was honoured by Burgess GAA Club on her election as President of the Camogie Association.
She is a member of the Canon Hayes National Awards judging Committee. She has worked closely with the No Name Club; founded by Eddie Keher, Fr. Tommy Walsh and Eamonn Doyle to encourage a sensible approach to the consumption of alcohol.
During her career in Aer Lingus, she worked in a number of areas including HR and management. She represented the airline at international conferences and carried out promotional work in New York, St. Louis and Atlanta. She was seconded to Okada Airlines in Nigeria for a spell. She now works as a HR consultant specialising in recruitment and internal promotions. She works with a number of bodies including Public Appointments, HSE, An Garda Siochana and various sporting bodies. She is also a qualified Life Coach.

She worked as a volunteer for a spell in Zambia with a French Canadian religious order.
Liz has four sisters, Kathleen, Patricia, Jo and Ann, and one brother Garry. She is an all round and knowledgeable sports follower; her native Tipperary teams in hurling, camogie, handball and football being the priority. She loves the football played by Barcelona and supports Ireland in all sports. A huge tennis fan, she is a dedicated supporter of Rafael Nadal and a regular at ATP events. She enjoys travel, theatre, reading, nature and the company her family and friends.

References

External links

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  Liz Howard interview with Evening Herald on her camogie career^{[permanent dead link]}