Mar 28, 2019
There are only 36 hours left to make a submission for the six open categories in the 2019 Irish Sport Industry Awards.
The Nominations Committee will meet today to determine long lists in the eight closed categories but the open categories are the ones we will focus on today with a strong entry already in the system but an opportunity to tell some of the best stories of the past 12 months.
There are six categories for which submissions have been sought:
National Governing Body of the Year
The criteria being judged here will be impact, not size. We are looking for an outstanding performance, whether in the promotion of a sport, or the ways in which an organisation has stepped up its own strengths.
Evidence of successful campaigns to promote the sport, evidence of sporting progress, evidence of playing a key part in the wider promotion of sport and of good governance will be the areas to focus on.
Previous winners of this award include Gymnastics Ireland and Paralympics Ireland
Local Sports Partnership Initiative of the Year
Up and down the country Local Sports Partnerships are doing great work in promoting sport at local level. It’s all about getting people active and the kind of projects that are being put forward are ones that really tally with Government policy in terms of developing a population that is engaged in sport or physical activity.
The award will highlight projects that have been well conceived, well promoted, well executed and have made an impact.
20X20
This is a new award to recognise an individual or a group that has made a real commitment to growing women’s participation in and engagement with sport.
The judges are looking for sustained commitment and long term thinking to fire the imagination and get girls and women believing the sport is normal for them.
Inclusivity
Open to any organisation either within the sports industry or using sport as a vehicle, which promotes the diversity and inclusion agenda to improve business performance.
The award can be entered by agencies, brands, broadcasters, events, governing bodies, leagues, rights holders, teams, venues and individuals, for internal or external-facing work.
Best Campaign to Increase Participation
Planning, creativity, delivery and impact will be key criteria in determining this award.
Campaigns or programmes that can be seen to have connected with audiences over a period of time will likely be to the fore.
Best use of Social Media
The creation of a digital community that becomes an active community is at the heart of this award. Social media is the channel through which large and small organisations can build their profile and deliver their message.
Doing it is easy, doing it well is more challenging but we expect that this will be a very competitive category.
The deadline for entry to each of these six categories is 3 PM on Friday, March 29th. The clock is ticking. The application process is simple and will rely on clarity of description rather than a vast submission of the entire body of work.
Don’t be put off by the time you think it would take. The opportunity to tell the story of your success is incredibly important. Don’t miss out.
Make your entry for the 2019 Irish Sport Industry Awards Here
Mar 26, 2019
Irish Sailing launched the first ever high-performance base for the senior Irish Sailing Team last Friday in Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The HQ was officially opened by Mary Mitchell O’Connor, local TD and Minister of State for Higher Education.
The facility was entirely funded by the Irish Sailing Foundation and cost €300,000. The Performance HQ is entirely mobile and consists of three converted shipping units with space for briefings and athlete education, a gym, gear storage and a boat maintenance area. The athlete briefing room can be shipped directly to international competitions and will provide a base for Ireland’s sailing athletes overseas. This will be shipped to Japan ahead of next year’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics, putting Ireland on a similar facility level.
Thirteen sailors from throughout Ireland will be based there, including 2016 Olympic Games silver medalist Annalise Murphy, her new sailing partner, Katie Tingle, from Cork, and six other world championship medalists.
“Having this new base is fantastic,” said Annalise Murphy. “For the first time we have a home, somewhere we know we can train, share experiences and focus as a group on how we can make our sailing performances better.”
“We’ve got a saying, ‘Leave home stronger’, which is there to remind us that we’ve got a home to come back to where we can recover, gain strength and prepare for the next campaign. That’s what the new HQ gives us – it means we don’t need to rely on the nomadic overseas campaigns of the past.”
The new HQ will improve both training and educational opportunities for the sailors. It has been instituted with the specific aim of maximising Ireland’s medal potential in international competitions and qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“The creation of the Performance HQ is great news – there is no doubt that we’re at the beginning of a new chapter in the story of Irish Sailing, delivering on the medal-winning potential that the facility will help shape and focus,” added Irish Sailing CEO Harry Hermon.
Mar 22, 2019
The full panel of judges for the Irish Sport Industry Awards have been named by the Federation of Irish Sport.
- Rob Hartnett, Sport for Business Founder (Chair)
- Cliona O’Leary, RTÉ Deputy Head of TV Sport
- Gerry McDermott, Fingal County Council Communications Manager
- Carol Andrews, BNY Mellon Managing Director
- Miriam Malone, Paralympics Ireland CEO
- Amanda Harton, JLT Sport Director
- Sinead Galvin, Galvin Sports Management Founder
- Cathal Dervan, FAI Head of Communications
- David McHugh, Line Up Sports Founder
- Fiona Coghlan, Grand Slam Winner
- Jill Downey, Core Sponsorship Managing Director
The closing date for nominations in the six open categories will be Friday, March 29th.
Sport for Business will run a daily series highlighting each of the Awards, starting tomorrow with the nomination award for National Governing Body of the year.
A nominations committee will compile a long list from those nominations and from industry knowledge in each of the 14 categories.
The full list of categories is:
Open categories where submissions can be made
Best use of social media by an organisation
Best programme/campaign to increase sporting participation
The Inclusivity Award
20X20 Award
Local sports partnership initiative of the year
National governing body of the year
Closed categories which will be decided by the Federation of Irish Sport Judges
The Jimmy Magee award for Sports journalist of the year
Sports media outlet of the year
New sports business of the year
Sports business of the year
Sporting innovation of the year
Sporting event of the year
Best sports sponsorship of the year
Outstanding contribution
“These awards are a true reflection of the high standards that run to the core of sport in Ireland,” said Chair of the judging panel and founder of Sport for Business, Rob Hartnett.
“The winners will emerge through a process of serious argument and deliberation from among a very strong group of professionals working within the sector.”
From that process, we can be sure that it will be the best of the best that emerge.”
“I would encourage everybody to look at the categories and make a submission for those they have worked with to such a high level over the past twelve months. It is a way for us all to recognise the talent that exists within the industry and something that carries real weight.”
The Awards event will be held on Monday the 15th of April in the Crown Plaza Blanchardstown.
Mar 22, 2019
There has been a lot to celebrate over the past week for Team Ireland as they continue to put in incredible performances in all sports at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games.
Over the 6 days of competition the Team not only secured an impressive 86 medals: 30 Gold, 29 Silver and 27 Bronze, the athletes also secured many placement ribbons and personal bests.
Stealing the show for Team Ireland over the weekend were the gymnasts who put in incredible performances in all of their events. Patrick Quinlivan and Lisa Redmond claimed all round gold and bronze respectively and fellow artistic gymnasts Kellie O’Donnell and John Keenan putting in multiple medal performances as well.
The golfers took center stage on Wednesday amassing an impressive 5 medals under the clear blue skies at the Yas Links Resort, Abu Dhabi. Mairead Moroney won silver in her alternate shot play with partner Jean Moloney. At 69 years young, Mairead is the oldest athlete competing at the Games but despite the tough bunkers and fast greens she played an impressive round.
Large crowds are expected at Dublin Airport on Friday, 22nd March for their return and we are delighted to have the continued support of the Dublin Airport Authority as we welcome back our sporting heroes.
Mar 12, 2019
91 Team Ireland athletes began their journey last week to Abu Dhabi ahead of the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Excitement was in the air at Dublin Airport as athletes from across Ireland arrived with their families and friends ahead for the final leg of their journey.
Accompanied by a volunteer management team of 39, Team Ireland have made their way from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to take part in the Host Town programme. During this time, the athletes have an opportunity to acclimatise to their surroundings with a range of cultural events, activities and training before the official Opening Ceremony on Thursday 14th March.
Best of luck to all those taking part over the next two weeks. Be sure to follow Special Olympics Ireland social media channels to keep an eye on all news from the games.
https://www.specialolympics.ie/
Mar 6, 2019
The Federation of Irish Sport today called on entries for the 2019 Irish Sport Industry Awards.
The awards, which are in their fourth year, recognise the invaluable relationship between business and sport in Ireland. The Sport industry in Ireland supports 40,000 jobs, stimulates €1.9 billion in household spending and generates €1 billion in tourism receipts each year. The awards recognize and reward excellence in the business of sport, while simultaneously highlighting the contribution of sport to Ireland Inc. An experienced and knowledgeable judging panel, drawn from both the sport and business communities, will determine the winners of the fourth annual Irish Sport Industry Awards. The judging panel will be Chaired by Sport for Business founder Rob Hartnett.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport said, “I am delighted that the Irish Sport Industry Awards are returning for another year. The Awards were set up to highlight the overall impact sport has on the economy from a variety of sources including sports businesses, sporting equipment, the construction of facilities, jobs, marketing spends, tourism and so on. These awards recognise the value that sport adds to the Irish economy while also acknowledging the work done by those National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships who deliver on the continued investment from business. I would encourage everyone involved in sport to submit an entry to the variety of open categories available.”
The 2019 awards are bigger and better than ever with 14 categories encompassing everything from Best Sporting Event, to New Sports Business, to NGB and LSP of the year and beyond. In a change from previous years, the 2019 awards will be comprised of 6 open categories for which the public can apply and/or nominate and 8 closed categories which will be chosen based on the in depth knowledge of the expert judging panel.
The event will be held on Monday the 15th April in the Crown Plaza Blanchardstown this year.
Nominations are now being accepted for all open categories and can be made via www.irishsportindustryawards.ie. Closing date for applications is Friday 29th of March 2019.
Full category list:
Open categories
1. Best use of social media by an organisation
2. Best programme/campaign to increase sporting participation
3. The Inclusivity Award
4. 20X20 Award
5. Local sports partnership initiative of the year
6. National governing body of the year
Closed categories : decided by the Federation of Irish Sport Judges
7. The Jimmy Magee award for Sports journalist of the year
8. Sports media outlet of the year
9. New sports business of the year
10. Sports business of the year
11. Sporting innovation of the year
12. Sporting event of the year
13. Best sports sponsorship of the year
14. Outstanding contribution
For more information visit www.irishsportindustryawards.ie or contact Sinead Conroy on 01 6251155 or via sinead.conroy@irishsport.ie
ENDS.
