Apr 25, 2022
Due to unprecedented demand the closing date for entries to the Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce has been extended. Nominations will be open until 1:00pm this Thursday 28th April.
There are 6 categories open for public nomination; Best Sports Sponsorship, Best Use of Communications platforms in Sport, Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport and Physical Activity, Best Initiative to Promote Inclusivity in Sport and Physical Activity, Local Sports Partnership of the Year, National Governing Body of the Year. Entries can be submitted online at: https://irishsportindustryawards.ie/categories/
Best of luck to all those already entered!
Apr 21, 2022
Alliance for Insurance Reform
PRESS RELEASE
On first anniversary of Judicial Guidelines, insurance costs continue to climb 42% of organisations say insurance premiums threatening their future As delays dog reforms, Alliance says Government can fix this but only if they move fast
The Alliance for Insurance Reform has marked the first anniversary of the implementation of the Judicial Guidelines for personal injury awards by publishing the results of a major new survey showing that:
- 42% of organisations say that insurance premiums are threatening their future
- 90% say Government is not doing enough to address the issue of insurance costs
In addition, an ongoing survey of insurance premium renewals confirms that liability premiums continue to increase by 16%.
Peter Boland, Director of the Alliance said “Personal injury damages are by far the biggest component of the cost of insurance and the Judicial Guidelines implemented on 24th April 2021 introduced significant reductions in the level of damages for minor injuries. So it is worth reflecting on the impact of those reductions one year on.
“While they are having an impact on motor premiums, they are clearly not having an impact on the liability premiums paid by businesses, voluntary and community groups, sports and cultural organisations and charities. Our ongoing research shows liability insurance renewals trending at +16% and the research we carried out over the last 3 weeks shows that 73% of organisations have also had additional excesses or exclusions imposed on their policies since 2019. Insurers are simply not passing on the benefits of recent reforms to liability insurance policyholders. Equally, other reforms that would impact on liability premiums are not happening fast enough.”
Eoin McCambridge, Managing Director of McCambridge’s of Galway and Director of the Alliance said “As a result of the continuing spiral in liability premiums, 90% in our survey say that Government is not doing enough to address the issue of insurance costs. To restore policyholder faith in the process, Government must do everything in their power to make sure incumbent insurers pass on the benefits of reforms. They must move quicker on getting additional competition into the market. They must speed up promised reforms. In particular, they must now deliver very quickly on the delayed rebalancing of the duty of care and the delayed reform of PIAB. Ultimately they must get liability insurance premiums down to affordable levels with reforms that keep them that way.”
In terms of the key reforms required to address insurance costs, the following is an update:
- The implementation of the Judicial Guidelines on 24th April 2021 has seen the value of assessments by the Personal Injuries Assessment Board tumble by 42% compared to those using the old Book of Quantum. However, the acceptance rate of these assessments has reduced from 50% to 37% as more claimants move to litigation. So the attitude of insurers who settle the vast majority of litigated liability claims before they get to court, and the approach of the judiciary once such claims finally get to court, will be extremely influential on the success or otherwise of the Guidelines. We do not have any data on settlements via either of these channels and are unlikely to have any until the publication of the Central Bank’s next NCID Private Motor Insurance Report in October.
Additionally, the Judicial Guidelines have been hit by multiple constitutional challenges as lawyers attempt to derail them and we await the judgement on the first lead challenge from the High Court, possibly in June.
- Rebalancing duty of care obligations, which often places an unfair, absolute responsibility on occupiers while exempting claimants of any responsibility for their own safety, was committed to in the Cabinet Sub-Group on Insurance Reform Action Plan of December 2020. A deadline of June 2021 was put in place for “proposals to Government to implement any changes deemed necessary”. However, these proposals have still not been submitted to Government.
- Legislation to reform PIAB is moving slowly through pre-legislative scrutiny. While the Alliance welcomes much of the content of the draft legislation, an “enhanced role” for PIAB was scheduled for June 2021 by the Cabinet Sub-Group on Insurance Reform so this initiative is now well behind schedule.
- An office within Government to encourage greater competition in the insurance market was established in December 2020 but has still not announced any additional market entries.
Tracy Sheridan, owner of Kidspace play centres in Rathfarnham and Rathcoole and director of the Alliance said “Of all the major challenges facing Ireland right now, insurance is the one that Government can fix quickest. But reforms are not moving fast enough, and policyholders cannot wait much longer for them to be put in place. Government has a golden opportunity to sort out the cost of insurance now and forever, but only if they get reforms done now, before the opportunity is lost.”
ENDS
Apr 14, 2022
Clubforce, the company on a mission to maximise sports participation worldwide, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Comórtais, a competition management technology firm. Clubforce, which provides an all-in-one management platform for sports volunteers, is now adding competition management to its technology offering. The Comórtais software is used by some of Ireland’s largest football clubs and leagues. Comórtais enables associations to create their own league and cup competitions. Teams are provided with detailed match analysis and can add information like goal scorers, venues, referees and directions, all from fixtures generated by the league administrators. They can also view scores and other various statistics in real-time to manage player performance.
Clubforce has transformed sports club management by giving volunteers the ability to carry out all administration, fundraising, and communications online from a single platform via desktop and mobile app supported by real-time reporting and automation. The business has assisted over 2000 clubs and associations to securely process memberships, manage their data, and raise funds online. Clubforce will be integrating the Comórtais feature set into its own platform and positioning the product to increase player satisfaction and fan engagement, improving performance and participation across all sizes of clubs, leagues and sports. Comórtais is a unique solution and one of a kind when it comes to competition management software. Adding Comórtais to the Clubforce portfolio will take the product offering to the next level.
Responding to having his company acquired, Feidhlim Byrne, who will remain as a consultant and advisor to Clubforce, said: “I’m more than delighted to receive recognition and validation from Clubforce about the product I’ve spent the last ten years building with Aidan Coyne. It’s gratifying to receive the opportunity to scale the product beyond my means and deliver additional value to our customers. I look forward to working alongside Clubforce and seeing the technology evolve to become a game-changer for clubs and leagues both at home and internationally.”
CEO of Clubforce, Noel Murray said in response to the arrival of this critical sports competition management technology: “We’re delighted to add competition management to our portfolio of products, bringing a more complete offering to our customers and allowing us to enter a new market with the leagues. The Comórtais focus has traditionally been on football but we plan to rapidly evolve and serve other sports. The technology features we gain from this deal will make us more competitive in Ireland, the UK, and further afield.”
The Comórtais platform is easy to use and allows leagues to set up their own websites and create competitions, add teams and generate a full fixture list for the season. Scores can be entered in real-time and as soon as results are entered, the league tables update automatically. Using the Live Game feature, clubs and associations can share a live scoreboard with viewers worldwide and at the match venue. This also helps to build up player and team statistics which accumulate into a comprehensive stats service once the game is completed. Commonly used by basketball organisations the Live Game feature means statistics can be entered as the game is played, including points attempted fouls, assists, points made, and more.
Comórtais’ customers include Sligo Rovers, KDUL, the Floodlit Soccer League, AUL Dublin, Basketball Ireland Area Boards, United Churches League, Cork Schoolboys League, Wexford Schoolboys League and Dublin District Schoolboys League (DDSL), the largest league of its kind in Europe. The competition management software can be used for an array of sports.
Speaking about the software, one of Comórtais’ long-term customers and also a customer of Clubforce, Paul McEvoy of the DDSL has said: “I couldn’t be happier that Clubforce is adding the Comórtais features to the platform. We at the DDSL are long-time users of both Comórtais and Clubforce, We have great relationships with both companies. I personally consider both of them genuine business partners. I can only see Clubforce now going from strength to strength and the Comórtais software continuously improving so I’m delighted for both parties.”
Clubforce is excited to be entering a market to serve the leagues, building on the Comórtais functionality and extending it to more sports and international markets.
ENDS
For more information, contact Rachel Kavanagh, CMO at Clubforce at rachel@clubforce.com or +353 86 102 5589
Photos available from Sportfile: https://media.sportsfile.com/fotoweb/albums/YlfbqGxcCC82KZnZ/
Apr 4, 2022
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2022 Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce. Entries are now live and the full list of categories can be found on the dedicated awards website. Entries can be made online by submitting a nomination (in less than 400 words) and supporting evidence contained in a PowerPoint presentation (max. 5 slides), illustrating how your entry meets the criteria. The Federation is looking forward to hosting the awards ceremony on Tuesday evening 17th May to highlight the value of Sport in Ireland and recognise the ongoing work of our members. Please note that entries close on Monday 25th April.
Best of luck with your entry!
Mar 31, 2022
Media Release
31st March 2022
The Federation of Irish Sport launch the 2022 Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce
The Federation of Irish Sport today announced Clubforce as the title sponsors for the return of the Irish Sport Industry Awards, following a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday 17th May in The Westin Hotel’s historic Banking Hall.
The 2022 Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce will be the fifth staging of the awards which recognise the invaluable relationship between business and sport in Ireland. The Sport industry in Ireland supports 64,000 jobs, stimulates €3.3 billion in household spending, and generates €3.7 billion (GVA) gross value added to the Irish economy. The awards celebrate and reward excellence in the business of sport, while simultaneously highlighting the contribution of sport to Ireland Inc.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said, “I am delighted to launch the return of the Irish Sport Industry Awards and to have Clubforce on board as title sponsor. It is more important than ever to celebrate the economic importance of sport to the economy following an incredibly difficult two years for the sector. I am particularly pleased to announce Clubforce as title sponsor and sponsor of the Best National Governing Body Award. A leading provider of an all-in-one sports platform, they are powering clubs and sports associations across the country and have proven to be an invaluable resource in the day to day working of NGBS. We’re particularly excited to hear news of their NGB specific product later this year.
The 10 award categories recognise the value that sport adds to the Irish economy from the sports industry perspective, in addition to celebrating the ongoing work done by national governing bodies and local sports partnerships to promote sport and physical activity nationwide. According to recent Sport Ireland research the sport economy has grown faster than the economy as a whole over the past 10 years. Entries to the awards will open in the coming days and I would encourage everyone involved in sport to submit an entry to the open categories available.”
Noel Murray, CEO Clubforce
“It’s a real privilege to work with Mary and her team to showcase the value that sport brings to our economy here in Ireland. One of our values at Clubforce is to make sport accessible to all. It’s a rare event like this one that allows us to reflect, measure and celebrate the tangible benefits of ordinary people, we the non-professionals, playing sport every day.
We’re excited about the line-up and grateful to Mary and her team for putting together such an impressive agenda. I’m delighted that Warren Healy, our founder, will present the award for best National Governing Body as his passion has fuelled the innovation for our new NGB product which we will formally launch later this year. We’re looking forward to an excellent night.”
Nominations will open on Monday 4th April, all open categories and can be made via www.irishsportindustryawards.ie. Closing date for applications is Monday 25th April.
For more information visit www.irishsportindustryawards.ie or contact Clare Louise O’Donoghue on 086 0437887 or via clarelouise.odonoghue@irishsport.ie
Photo caption: Pictured (L to R) Noel Murray, CEO Clubforce, Mary O’Connor, CEO Federation of Irish Sport, Warren Healy, Founder Clubforce.
Photo distribution by Sportsfile
ENDS.
About the Irish Sport Industry Awards
The 10 categories of awards celebrate leading governing body and local sports partnership initiatives, Best Sports Sponsorship, Best Sports Business (new and existing) the Jimmy Magee Award for Best Sports Journalist, Best Inclusivity, Best promotion of Women in Sport, Best Use of Communications platforms, and the Outstanding Achievement Award. There are 6 open categories open for public nomination and 4 closed categories which will be judged by an esteemed judging panel comprising a mix of media, PR, and independent sports industry experts. The knowledgeable judging panel will again be Chaired by Sport for Business founder Rob Hartnett. Entries open on Monday 4th April 2022.
Full category list:
Open categories
- Best Sports Sponsorship
- Best use of Communications Platform in Sport
- Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport
- Special Award for Inclusive Sport Initiative
- Local Sports Partnership initiative of the year
- National Governing Body of the year
Closed categories: decided by the Federation of Irish Sport Judges
- The Jimmy Magee award for Sports Journalist of the year
- Best New Sports Business of the year
- Best Sports Business of the year
- Outstanding Contribution to Irish Sport
About the Federation of Irish Sport
Established in 2002, the Federation of Irish Sport is the representative organisation for the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) in Ireland. The Federation’s membership consists of over 110 NGBs and LSPs from every corner of the country, including the GAA, FAI, IRFU, Swim Ireland and Athletics Ireland. Currently, the Federation’s membership comprises 81 NGBs and 29 LSPs, representing over 12,000 sports clubs nationwide.
The role of the Federation is to speak on behalf of its members and represent their views to the public, while also providing them with a range of services. As governing bodies, the members’ priorities lie with their sport. Therefore, the job of the Federation is to communicate their views regarding the benefits of sport in areas such as personal health/wellbeing, the economy and society as a whole.
About Clubforce
The Clubforce mission is to make sport accessible for all whilst promoting joy, health, and wellbeing in the wider community. Clubforce has transformed the way sports clubs are managed and provides an all-in-one technology used by teams and associations worldwide to connect members, reduce administration, and drive fundraising forward. Clubforce technology allows volunteers, parents, and players alike to work together effectively, receiving the right information at the right time so everyone can participate to their very best.
Mar 30, 2022
Sport Ireland and Ireland Active have today announced a €3.2 million funding package for swimming pool operators across the country. This funding forms part of the €73.6m in Covid funding to support the sport sector announced by Government last December.
The funding allocation is an acknowledgement of the importance of the sector and the impact swimming has on the nation’s health. Ireland Active was appointed by Sport Ireland to administer the swimming pool grant scheme, supported by partners Swim Ireland.
Speaking about the announcement, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media Catherine Martin TD said: “While it is appreciated that the last two years has been a difficult period for swimming pool operators across the country, the funding announced by Sport Ireland and Ireland Active today will help provide financial stability to this important sector.”
Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht Jack Chambers TD added: “Swimming Pool operators demonstrated their resilience throughout the pandemic. It is important that this resilience continues. The funding announced today will assist swimming pool operators to continue getting communities across the country active and providing a real-life skill. This has never been more important and is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing.”
Swimming pools provide a vital resource for schools, clubs and communities across the country, and it is important that this infrastructure is maintained going forward. This investment will help swimming pool operators continue to provide safe and essential service which is vital to sustain swimming and maintain high physical activity levels.
Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, Una May, said: “The Irish Sports Monitor highlighted swimming to be the second most popular sport amongst adults with 300,000 participating each week. Swimming pools provide a vital resource for schools, clubs and communities across the country. Swimming greatly contributes to the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities right across the country”.
Karl Dunne, CEO of Ireland Active added: “The funding being allocated today will provide some much-needed relief for swimming pool operators who have been severely hit by the pandemic and continued raising energy costs. This investment will help swimming pool operators continue to provide essential services which is vital to sustain swimming and maintain high physical activity levels. The recognition of Government around the operational and financial difficulties, along with the high energy costs of maintaining swimming pools is very welcome and will provide some much-needed financial assistance to swimming pool operators”.
Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane commented: “It has been fantastic to have Swim Ireland, Ireland Active, Sport Ireland and Government all working together to support pool operators and recognising the important role they play in helping to deliver and provide swimming opportunities in Ireland. We would like to thank all parties involved for their support in this welcome boost for swimming pools, the funding will go a long way to supporting the pools rebuild after a difficult two years, in a sector which is vital for the health and safety of our nation.”
See Grant allocations here
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