Nov 25, 2020
Volleyball Ireland has revealed a new logo, brand identity and website that represents a break from traditional sporting body branding.
The VLY. Concept puts Volleyball itself, rather than the administrative body that governs it, to the forefront. Using an abbreviation rather than an acronym, is a key differentiator that stands Volleyball Ireland out from the crowd.
General Manager of Volleyball Ireland, Gary Stewart said. “Our primary role is to govern and promote the sport, and when you have a sport like Volleyball, it makes sense to put it at the front and centre of everything you do. It shows we are proud of our game and what it represents. The sport is our brand and we want to celebrate that.”
The branding project came about following a competition ran in collaboration between marketing agency Branding Sport and online media company Sport for Business, which led to one sports body being given a full brand makeover.
Patrick Murphy of Branding Sport added, “We discovered that Volleyball in Ireland has a really interesting story to tell. On top of that, the team at Volleyball Ireland were very keen to develop a standout brand identity for a sport that is full of colour, energy and vibrancy. We’re very happy that the new identity delivers against the ambitions of Volleyball Ireland and is a fresh start in promoting the sport in a modern, energetic way that we believe will appeal to the right audience.”
Coinciding with the brand launch is the introduction of a new website developed by former International player and current Dublin Volleyball Club star Cillian Bracken of Vine Digital Ireland. The website, like the brand puts volleyball first and foremost with more focus on club activity and participation opportunities.
Key notes related to the brand rationale:
Youthful: The marque is intentionally youthful. The key strategic aim of Volleyball Ireland is to strengthen the pathway from school to club to national team, to grow participation in colleges and to develop volleyball programmes nationwide. With over 900 school teams competing in Volleyball Ireland competitions and a newly formed youth national league, having a clear and progressive pathway for participation and performance is a key priority for the organisation..
Energetic, dramatic & fun: Volleyball is fiercely athletic & dramatic, where every point is an event. Both on the court and on the sand, the sport is great fun to play. The shaping of the VLY logo represents the athletic, twisting and stretching movements that are prevalent in Volleyball.
Equality: Volleyball is one of the few sports where male/female participation is relatively equal. In Ireland, 62% of players are women or girls. Volleyball Ireland’s board and sub-committees have equal representation with 62% of board/committee members being female. This is important to us. The brand is intentionally gender neutral, to represent it’s membership.
Multi-cultural: 74% of adult volleyball players in Ireland are foreign nationals, coming from 64 different nationalities. The colour palette is purposely neutral to represent all of our members and the global community that exists in the Irish volleyball community.
Ambitious: To be truly ambitious you have to be different, you have to stand out from the crowd. The new brand isn’t afraid to do that, it’s bold and it’s dramatic – just like Volleyball.
ENDS.
Notes:
Branding Sport is a creative agency that specialises in developing brand identities for sports organisations. The team at Branding Sport have previously worked with the likes of the European Tour,
Leinster Rugby, Rory McIlroy & the Olympic Federation of Ireland.
Sport For Business is a publishing, networking and events company that connects the worlds of sport & business together.
Vine Digital Ireland is a digital marketing agency based in co. Kildare, led by former International Volleyball player Cillian Bracken.
Nov 16, 2020
Fingal Sports Office and the Tyrrelstown/Mulhuddart Community Sports Hub presents the first Live Online Session in Fingal’s Women in Sport Coaching Series Thursday 26th of November at 7 p.m. The first guest coach is Suzanne Maguire, Irish International Basketballer and Coach. Suzanne will be in conversation with Cliona Foley renowned freelance Sportswriter and Presenter of Women’s Sport podcast “Off the Bench”. Suzanne Maguire is a Fordham University Hall of Famer and is currently playing D1 basketball with Liffey Celtics. The Women in Sport Coaching Series aims to encourage women and young girls to get involved in coaching primarily or in Sport in general. This Series is one of Fingal Sports Office initiatives to support Federation of Irish Sport 20X20 campaign.
Please Register here
Nov 3, 2020
Shane Ryan swam a second Irish Senior Record in as many days as he cruised to a new national standard in the 100m Backstroke on the second day of Match 3 at the International Swimming League in Budapest, Hungary.
Ryan, who had broken the 100m Butterfly Irish Record yesterday in 50.53, added the 100m Backstroke today in a time of 50.22, knocking .19 off his own record of 50.41 set at the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Glasgow in 2019.
Tokyo Frog Kings Ryosuke Irie won the event in 49.91, while Ryan Murphy, who tied with Ryan to win the 50m Backstroke yesterday, was third in 50.42.
Soon after, the Rio 2016 Olympian was back in the pool for the 50m Butterfly where he was just one hundredth of a second off his own 50m Butterfly Irish Record of 22.96, touching in 22.97.
Ryan concluded his first Match of the season in the 50m Backstroke Skins* finishing second in the first round in 23.13 and third in round two in 24.15.
Ryan and the Toronto Titans return to action on November 1st and 2nd while Darragh Greene’s London Roar are back in the pool, after a two-week break, on October 30th and 31st.
ISL Match 3 – Final Standings
LA Current 535.5
Tokyo Frog Kings 506.5
Toronto Titans 401
Aqua Centurions 260
About the International Swimming League (ISL)
Now in its second year, the ISL will bring 315 swimmers from 48 countries to Budapest, Hungary for eight weeks in October/November.
Athletes are split across ten teams; Cali Condors (California), Team Iron (Budapest), Tokyo Frog Kings, London Roar, DC Trident (Washington DC), New York Breakers, Toronto Titans, LA Current, Aqua Centurions (Italy) and Energy Standard (Ukraine).
The teams will face off against each other in a series of ten matches from October 16th to November 14th. Semi-Finals will take place for the top eight teams from 19th – 22nd November, while the Final, made up of four teams, will be November 21st and 22nd.
Ireland have two swimmers competing, Darragh Greene for London Roar and Shane Ryan for Toronto Titans.
*Skins Race
A Skins race is an exciting series of back-to-back races which operate on a knockout basis, with the two remaining swimmers racing each other in a head-to-head final race.
Nov 3, 2020
Fingal County Council Sports Office has launched a new online schools initiative called SportsCon 10@10. SportsCon 10@10 is 10 exercises performed for 10 minutes each day. It is designed to keep kids active while staying in their classroom. The programme will also include some interesting physical activity facts as an educational element. Teachers can fit in the 10 minutes of activity at any stage of the day to suit the class schedule.
These activities will complement the strands of the P.E curriculum and are a great idea for Active Flag School Challenges. The exercises are closely aligned with Fingal’s Sports Conditioning programme focusing on balance, strength, mobility and motor skills.
Margaret Geraghty, Director of Service, Fingal County Council, acknowledges that this is a very challenging time for teachers trying to deliver P.E. “Teachers are much more restricted in terms of where and when they can deliver P.E. sessions. 10@10 hopes to alleviate some of these challenges and assist teachers with new ideas to help children stay active in the classroom with fun exercises along with an educational element.”
If schools would like to register for this free online programme visit https://learning.fingal.ie/course/view.php?id=173#section-0
