SETANTA SPORTS' commercial and marketing director Mark Mohan has quit his full-time role with the firm for personal reasons.

Mr Mohan will retain a link with Setanta as a non-executive director of its Irish business.

Setanta is seeking to hire a UK-based replacement for Mr Mohan. Britain is now the major focus of Setanta's business due its extensive portfolio of live rights to English and Scottish football.

Mr Mohan, who previously worked here for cable television provider NTL, told The Irish Timesthat his decision to leave his role, which he assumed in April 2006, was motivated by a desire to spend more time here with his family.

The Irish executive has been spending about four days a week in the UK. "It's been a great couple of years, there's no doubt about it, but the travelling has been hard, especially with four young kids," he said. "We'd always agreed that this would be a two- to three-year stint."

In a statement released to The Irish Times, Setanta said: "Mark and ourselves have been in discussion about a role change for him for a number of months. We were keen to facilitate him and have agreed that he will move back to Ireland to take up a non-executive director's role with the Irish business and help to drive the continued success of the business here."

Mr Mohan said that he hoped to agree a date for departure from the post later this week and he envisages his role coming to an end over the next month or so.

He said he would take some time out before deciding on his next move. "Media and the ICT sector would be a logical next step for me," Mr Mohan said. "But I'll also be looking at a couple of different things in other industries."

Setanta has undergone a major transformation over the past two years. In August 2007, it became the first broadcaster other than BSkyB to show live English Premier League soccer matches, having secured a three-year deal for £392 million (€500 million).

It has since secured live rights to the FA Cup and England internationals as part of a £425 million deal with ITV. Setanta is believed to have paid £150 million for its share of those rights.

Its portfolio also includes Formula One, the Uefa Champions League and USPGA golf.

Setanta is reported to have more than 1.4 million premium subscribers and another 2.2 million users accessing its services through cable operators, including UPC Ireland and Virgin Media in the UK.