OSCA
A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE IN SPORTS ADMINISTRATION
ANDREW FAICHNEY (’ 93 ) HAS HANDLED KEY ROLES IN ATHLETICS AND CRICKET
ANDREW FAICHNEY (' 93 )
As reported in the September edition of Great Scot , four Old Scotch Collegian athletes competed in the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games – Josh Booth (’ 08 ) Stuart Sim (’ 11 ) and James Rook (’ 15 ) in rowing , and Denis Genreau in soccer , while senior coach Craig Hilliard (’ 74 ) continued an illustrious coaching career in the role of Targeted Athlete Campaign Lead for the Australian Athletics team .
Great Scot has since been alerted to the prominent role of another Old Scotch Collegian at the Tokyo Olympics – Andrew Faichney (’ 93 ) who was Head of Delegation for the Track and Field Team .
Andrew Faichney had an excellent grounding at Scotch for a future role as an elite athlete . He was Captain of Athletics and Vice Captain of the 1st XVIII . Following his graduation from Deakin University as Bachelor of Teaching ( secondary ) and Bachelor of Human Movement in 1999 , Andrew commenced his career in sports administration .
His athletics career included both state and national under age titles in high jump , long jump , triple jump and multi-event championships . In 1994 he qualified for the World Junior Championships , however injury prevented him from participating . For some years until his graduation , he continued to compete in A grade for the Old Scotch Athletics Club , and also to play for the Old Scotch Football Club .
Andrew joined Athletics Australia in 1999 as the National Development Officer ( 1999-2000 ), and was involved in the Sydney Olympic Games . He became the coordinator for the Paralympians in 2001 , and developed a Paralympian Preparation Program . He has maintained close involvement with these athletes for over 20 years , and has managed Paralympian teams to World Championships , Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games .
In 2002 Andrew attended the Manchester Commonwealth Games as an observer , and the next year he was appointed Planning Coordinator – Track and Field Athletics and Archery for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games . From 2003 to 2006 he was Program Organiser and Manager – Track and Field ( including marathons , tri-athletics and walks ).
In 2003 he was also appointed as Program Manager for the International Athletics Grand Prix meeting held in Melbourne .
Following the Melbourne Commonwealth Games Andrew travelled to Europe and the UAE , where he was employed with the International Cricket Council in Dubai , as Coordinator of the ICC World Cricket League ( 2007-2010 ). On his return to Australia , he worked jointly for Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council in the role of Development Officer for Asia and the Pacific until 2011 .
In 2012 Andrew was invited to return to Athletics Australia as Manager of Para-Games and Paralympians . In this capacity he was Team Manager for both World Championships and the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and in Rio de Janeiro , 2016 .
Andrew always supported the concept of a combined Australian Athletics team . As a result , was appointed Head of Delegation for the Australian Commonwealth Games Team ( combined para-athletes with able-bodied athletes ) for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games .
Later that year , Andrew was appointed to the Senior Management Team at Athletics Australia as Head of High Performance Systems . This position was reformed as High Performance General Manager in 2020 , and in this capacity he assumed responsibility for the Australian Track and Field Athletics Team for Tokyo 2021 .
He continues in his role as Director for High Performance and oversees the coaching and training of Paralympians as well as able-bodied athletes .
66 Great Scot Issue 164 – December 2021