Sep 2, 2019
Nominations are open for the Volunteers in Sport Awards – get your nominations in now!
Go to www.volunteersinsport.com to nominate.
Background:
The Volunteers in Sport Awards were created to recognise the contributions, commitment and dedication of the 450,000 volunteers who give their time to Irish sport every year. This equates to approximately 37.2 million hours of volunteering across Ireland’s 14,000 registered sports clubs and associations across country.
The Federation of Irish Sport recently announced its new partnership with EBS, the Mortgage Masters. The new partnership with EBS has afforded the Federation the opportunity to re-establish the awards for the first time since 2014.
An overall winner from each county will be selected as well as one national “team of volunteers” award. A Lifetime award to honour a volunteer who has consistently given of their time for a sport, a team, or an event over many years, will also be awarded at the ceremony, taking place on Tuesday, 12 November.
Lifetime achievement award
The Lifetime Award will be presented to a volunteer who has consistently given of their time for a sport, team or event over many years. Previous winners of the Lifetime Award include Liam Sheedy, who managed Tipperary to All Ireland Senior success in 2010, Oliver O’Neill, youth coach and father of Olympic Boxer Darren O’Neill and Dublin City Marathon organiser Jim Aughney.
How to nominate
Members of the public are invited to nominate an individual whose contribution to their sport has made a real different to their club, community or county. Nominations can be made by individuals, clubs or sporting associations via an online application form at www.volunteersinsport.ie. The deadline for applications is Friday, 27 September, 2019.
Comment
Speaking about the awards, Minister of State Brendan Griffin TD, said:
“It is important to remember that every Irish athlete currently representing their club, county or even country is a result of the hours of passion, dedication and effort that volunteers afforded them each week as they developed as players and athletes. The unparalleled commitment given by these people must be recognised and celebrated. I am delighted to launch these Sport Volunteer Awards and I urge members of the public to nominate an individual whose contribution to sport has made a real difference in their community, whether that is a coach, manager, official or administrator. These unsung heroes deserve to be celebrated and congratulated publicly.”
According to Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport:
“The first Volunteer in Sport Awards were presented in 2007 and were done so to recognise the contribution, commitment and dedication of the volunteers who give so generously of their time to sport and physical activity every year. We are delighted that EBS have partnered with us this year to make this happen for the first time in five years.
“Sport plays a central role in the social fabric of every county, constituency and parish in the country. Sport represents the largest single source of volunteering in Ireland, with over 450,000 people volunteering in sport each week, in the 14,000 sports clubs and associations in Ireland who encompass 1.7 million members”.
“The value of volunteering in sport in Ireland is unimaginable, with an estimated 37.2 million hours of unpaid voluntary work performed every year. It is these people that make sport happen in Ireland, and it is essential they are recognised, and indeed funded to ensure that sporting tradition grows even further on a national and international footing.”
Speaking about the newly established partnership, Des Fitzgerald, CEO of EBS commented;
“EBS is proud to launch an initiative that will recognise everyday heroes without whom sport in Ireland simply would not happen. This army of 450,000 volunteers go above and beyond what is asked of them every day to ensure that children, teenagers and adults remain included, active and competitive in sport.
“They are the coaches, the managers, those who wash the kit, who set up training sessions, who manage fundraising campaigns, who make tea and sandwiches, and who taxi children around their county. They are the people who open the gates to incredible opportunities. We have been involved in communities in Ireland for over 80 years and are delighted to reignite our activity in communities around the country with this unique partnership with The Federation of Irish Sport, with the Volunteer in Sport Awards being the first initiative we will work together on.”
For more information, visit www.volunteersinsport.com
ENDS
Aug 29, 2019
The 2019 Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Camogie Championships will culminate on Sunday September 8th in Croke Park and after a thrilling season there will be a changing of the guard with three new names to be engraved onto the trophies on offer at Senior, Intermediate and Premier Junior level.
The Senior Final sees Galway face Kilkenny in a rematch of this year’s National League Final which the Tribeswomen claimed and they now will look to complete a League and Championship double. Galway are in action in the Intermediate Final as well as they face Westmeath, while Kerry and Limerick will do battle in the Premier Junior Final.
We hope to see a bumper crowd in Croke Park for the Finals as we aim to break the 25,000 attendance mark and we encourage everyone to get out in their numbers and to ‘Go Together’ on what is guaranteed to be a wonderful occasion!
Sunday, September 8th 2019
Croke Park
Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Championship Final
Galway v Kilkenny, Croke Park, 4.15pm
Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Intermediate Championship Final
Galway v Westmeath, Croke Park, 2pm
Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship Final
Kerry v Limerick, Croke Park, 12noon
Aug 28, 2019
JLT Ireland are insurance broker and Risk Management Advisors to the Federation of Irish Sport.
Following the recent acquisition of the JLT Group by Marsh McLennan, we are now positioned globally as one of the world largest insurance broker & Risk Management provider delivering cost effective and comprehensive insurance / Risk Management solutions.
We are proud to continue to work with the Federation of Irish Sport and strive to protect their members in a proactive and cost effective way. Our sports insurance facility is specifically designed for the National Governing bodies and tailored to specifically meet the insurance needs of our National Sports Associations, Clubs, Coaches and Participants.
We pride ourselves on knowing our clients and their business. Understanding the insurance challenges currently faced by all sporting organisations. Our knowledge around the diversity of risks and exposures allows us to tailor an insurance programme specific to our client’s needs.
We presently provide broker services to many of the National Governing Bodies and recently entered into a new partnership with the GAA when appointed as the broker for their Association. Our passionate team is excited by this expansion to our sports service and we are looking forward to the prospect of working with counties and clubs in the area of risk management over the coming years.
Sinéad Leavy, GAA Risk and Insurance Manager on behalf of the GAA Risk and Insurance Committee commented:
“The Association is very much looking forward to working with the team in Marsh / JLT so that we can continue to provide extensive Insurance coverage for our affiliated units particularly in light of the challenges facing the insurance market in Ireland which have been well documented.”
Our dedicated team are available to support our clients by delivering the highest quality of service not only at the time of your insurance renewal but right throughout he sporting year to ensure insurance does not become a barrier to performance.
Our Marsh / JLT service team contacts are detailed below:
Marsh / JLT Sports Service Team
Postal Address Phone Number Email
JLT Ireland
Cherrywood business Park
Loughlinstown
Dublin 18 01- 2026000 team-sports-charities@jlt.ie
Account Executive Team Leader
Barbara Mc Cluskey
01 202 6049 – direct dial Barbara.mccluskey@marsh.com
Business Development Executives
Tom O’Leary
01 202 6018 – direct dial Tom.oleary@marsh.com
Keith Heffernan
01 202 6041 – direct dial Keith.heffernan@marsh.com
We look forward through our partnership with the Federation of Irish Sport to engaging with you in future months regarding the insurance challenges and emerging exposures in the sports environment.
Yours in Sport,
Kind Regards
Ciaran Whelan
Head of Enterprise & Sport
Marsh / JLT Ireland
JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited trading as JLT Ireland, JLT Financial Services, GIS Ireland, Charity Insurance, Teacherwise, Childcare Insurance, JLT Online, JLT Trade Credit Insurance, JLT Sport is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. JLT Ireland is a trading name of JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited and is a member of the Marsh & McLennan Companies group. JLT Ireland is a private company limited by shares. We are registered in Ireland with company registration number 21622 and our registered office address is located at Cherrywood Business Park, Loughlinstown, Dublin 18.
Aug 27, 2019
A record four players from Ireland were selected by Great Britain and Ireland for the Jacques Léglise Trophy at Aldeburgh, England (30-31 August).
Joshua Hill (Galgorm Castle), Aaron Marshall (Lisburn), Tom McKibbin (Holywood) and Luke O’Neill (Connemara) were named in the nine-player team for the annual U18 match against Continent of Europe.
GB&I will be looking to defend the Jacques Léglise Trophy after they won 15.5 -9.5 at Kytäjä Golf in Finland last year. Captain Stuart Wilson has assembled a strong team with five players returning from the 2018 winning line-up, including playing captain Barclay Brown.
Among the newcomers are three Ireland players: Joshua Hill, the 2019 McGregor Trophy champion; Aaron Marshall, the Irish Boys’ Amateur champion; and Luke O’Neill, the German Boys’ Open champion.
The Continent of Europe last won the match in 2017 at Ballybunion after successfully defending the title it won in 2016 at Prince’s. Since the Jacques Léglise Trophy was first contested in 1958, GB&I has won 29 matches overall with the Continent of Europe claiming 12 victories with one match tied.
The format for the Jacques Léglise Trophy is four foursomes matches each morning, eight singles matches on the afternoon of Friday 30 August and nine singles matches on the afternoon of Saturday 31 August.
GB&I: Barclay Brown (18) (Captain), Hallamshire, England; Archie Davies (18), Carlisle, Wales; Joshua Hill (16), Galgorm Castle, Ireland; Aaron Marshall (18), Lisburn, Ireland; Tom McKibbin (16), Holywood, Ireland; Connor McKinney (17), Joondalup, Scotland; Luke O’Neill (18), Connemara, Ireland; Joseph Pagdin (17), Lake Nona, England; Benjamin Schmidt (17), Rotherham, England.
Aug 27, 2019
Media Release
Frank Greally was on hand to launch the 2019 Remembrance Run 5k– the unique and hugely popular Walk or Run event that takes place in the Phoenix Park on Sunday, November 10th.
This will be the eight annual Remembrance Run 5k which last year attracted a record number of over 5,000 entrants. It is an event with its own special atmosphere that includes Choirs, Music, Song, Commentary, and a Special Wall of Remembrance. Participants also receive a Special Souvenir Candle, as well as an event Goodie Bag.
Frank Greally, who in association with Athletics Ireland in 2012, founded the Remembrance Run 5k, said: “It was the passing of the legendary sports writer Con Houlihan that inspired me to set up this this special event in association with Athletics Ireland. Con was a dear friend and mentor and his columns on sport and literature in the Evening Press earned him a huge following over many years.
And it was Fr Brian D’Arcy who inspired me to write the Remembrance Run song when I heard him say at another great friend’s funeral, the late and famous RTE sports broadcaster, Jimmy Magee: ‘As long as Jimmy is remembered, he will never die.’ See a verse of the song.”
Remember in November
Remember me when in deep November
The days close in- the leaves are falling free
I hope you pause and smile when you remember
Then walk or run a few miles of the road with me
Among the many guests in attendance at today’s Remembrance Run launch was the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Paul McAuliffe.
The Lord Mayor said, “Remembrance Run is a really unique event, and offers us the chance to pause, and remember family and friends who have passed. I would encourage everyone to go along to the Phoenix Park on November 10th and experience the special atmosphere that only an event like this can create”.
Athletics Ireland CEO, Hamish Adams took part in the 2018 event and is already looking forward to what promises to be another great day in the Phoenix Park. He said, “Remembrance Run is an event that all of us in Athletics Ireland look forward to each year. It’s a day about remembering those that we’ve lost. We’re delighted that once again, we will have a special Wall of Remembrance erected at the race finish on Furze Road in the Phoenix Park. Every year, this wall is filled to capacity with signatures and messages, and there is something very special about people coming together to remember close family and friends in this special way.”
If you would like to share a special memory of a loved one or add some names to our online Remembrance Wall, you can do so by emailing: marybohanna@athleticsireland.ie .
Further information and updates relating to the event can be found at remembrancerun.ie .
Ends
Aug 27, 2019
The AIG Irish Open took place at Carrickmines Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club from July 29th – August 4th and proved to be a great success. Tennis Ireland were delighted with the attendance numbers during the week plus the singles finals (broadcast live on TG4) attracted double the TV audience share compared to 2018.
This reflected the quality of the entrants this year and the strong Irish performance in both the doubles and singles of the Men’s and Women’s Events – culminating with two Irish Winners.
The finals were played across the Saturday and Sunday; with the Doubles Final and Singles Semi-finals being played on the Saturday.
The spectators were treated to some excellent tennis all week with lots of local interest leading to the strong Irish presence at the business end of the tournament.
The weekend got off to a great start as Georgia Drummy powered her way to the Women’s Singles Final. The local audience were hoping for an all Irish affair as Anna Bowtell looked to join Georgia in the final as she pushed the Number One seed, Alice Robbe from France, all the way before losing in three tight sets.
Similarly, in the Men’s event, Irish Number One Simon Carr came very close to upsetting the Men’s number one seed, Igor Sijsling – who has a career high ranking of 52 on the ATP and who reached the final of the Australian Open in 2014 – before losing out in 3 long sets. The Number One seed went on to show his class in a very professional performance in the final, using his excellent serve and groundstrokes to hold off the number two seed, Ryan Peniston (GBR), 6/4 7/6.
In the Women’s Doubles, Georgia Drummy and Karolina Berankova (CZE) reached the final before losing to top seeds Karola Bejenaru (ROU) who is based in Ireland and competes for Ulster, and her partner Lisa Ponomar (GER). In the Men’s event, local player Julian Bradley went one step further with his partner and former college roommate Jack Findel-Hawkins (GBR), by winning the title 6/2, 7/5 over second seeds Ben Jones (GBR) and Joshua Paris (GBR).
Georgia’s disappointment however would soon prove to be short lived as the eagerly awaited ladies final saw Georgia face top seed, Alice Robbe (FRA).
Georgia showed tremendous character to overcome nerves and 6 break points in the first game before settling into the match. Georgia then very much got into her match rhythm and started to overpower the number one seed.
Much to the local crowd’s delight, Georgia hit a number of very impressive winners on her way to an emphatic straight sets victory 6/1 6/2 to cap off a Sijsling week of great tennis.
