The National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) is to go ahead with the further development of the site at Abbotstown with the creation of over 100 jobs for the local economy after the government gave the green light for the €7m next phase. Multi-sport all weather pitches and a public pavilion will be constructed under the plan. The GAA, FAI, IRFU, HSI and Irish Hockey all have plans to develop facilities at the site in addition to the existing completed projects such as the National Aquatic Centre. Commenting in the Irish Independent this week Barry O’ Brien, Chief Executive Officer of the NSCDA said that “We are driving the development of the Campus and we want to deliver it primarily for Irish athletes and players and all elements of sport in Ireland.”
Earlier this month, Toyota and Cricket Ireland announced they were teaming up. The Federation spoke to Ian Corbett, Marketing Operations Manager, Toyota Ireland who kindly told us more….
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Toyota, has a long tradition of supporting Irish Sport what do you see as the benefits for a brand such as Toyota in supporting Irish sporting bodies?
As a nation we love sport, it’s a big part of our lives so given our broad customer base in Ireland of over 320,000 it is a good strategic fit for Toyota to be involved in sports.
We believe that sports sponsorships allow us to have greater engagement with customers beyond pure product communications and we have been very fortunate to be associated with organisations such as the GAA, Munster Rugby and now Cricket Ireland.
Cricket Ireland have enjoyed significant success in recent years both, on and off the wicket, were there any particular aspects of their success that were attractive to Toyota in developing this partnership?
Cricket Ireland has been very successful in growing the appeal of the sport in Ireland since the success of the Irish team at the 2007 World Cup. As an organisation we were impressed with their strategic plan which is very focused yet ambitious.
Sponsorship support will go some way to Cricket Ireland reaching a number of key milestones including the development of a 12,000 capacity stadium in Malahide (slated for completion by 2015) and the interprovincial series starting this year. As a measure of their ambition Ireland are aiming for full test status by 2020 and we wanted to be part of this success story over the coming years.
Has Toyota’s approach to commercial partnerships changed in recent years?
No we always apply the same process of analysis when examining any commercial partnership but there is a greater emphasis on how any partnership will deliver additional engagement with the brand digitally as well as leveraging opportunities through our Dealer Network.
What advice would you give to any sports organisation looking to secure sponsorship in the current environment?
I would say clearly articulate why you think your organisation and the company you are approaching are a good strategic fit as well as highlighting what the benefits are for that organisation. Believe it or not, very often this Is not well thought through by those making the sponsorship proposal. Culturally, the working relationship between the two organisations is just as important. Finally, given budget restraints in the current economic climate ask yourself is there a different way the sponsor can help your organisation such as through BIK.
Many thanks for taking the time to talk to us, finally what was your personal highlight of the sporting year 2012 and anything you are particularly looking forward to in 2013?
There can only be one winner for 2012, it has to be Katie Taylor winning gold in London. For 2013 I’m personally looking forward to the RSA Challenge, Ireland V England cricket international in Malahide on September 3r.d. With an attendance of 12,000 expected at the future home of Irish Cricket it should be a great occasion and even better if the weather is good.
IWA-Sport working to create and support opportunities for people of all ages with a physical disability to take part in a wide range of sports and activities. IWA Sport currently working with 1500 people, providing sporting opportunities across 11 sports including athletics, boccia, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, swimming, table tennis, sailing, bowls, powerlifiting, handcycling and tennis. Throughout 2012 IWA-Sport hosted 217 field events.
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Event History:
This is the second time this qualification tournament has taken place in Ireland, IWA Sport having previously hosted the 2009 edition. IWA Sport made a bid for the event in August of 2012. The International Wheelchair Rugby Federation subsequently met at the Paralympic Games in London and announced that IWA Sport had been successful in their bid.
The 2013 European Wheelchair Rugby Championship finals will be held in Antwerp, Belgium, where the top 12 teams from Europe will compete for the title.
Event Preparation:
As with any international event, there was a huge amount of work in the planning stage of the tournament. Given the nature of the competition, selecting a suitable venue which would meet the the event requirements, particularly accessibility, was paramount. Other factors affecting the choice of location included suitability to cater for the hosting of matches, training and storage all in one. This is why Gormanston College Sports Hall was selected and proved to be the ideal venue.
In addition to logistics, various schedules needed to be planned including training, match and transport schedules, as well as a classification schedule for the participating athletes.
A co-ordination committee comprising of IWA-Sport management and the Wheelchair Rugby committee was put in place and met regularly to discuss all aspects of planning. Communication was on-going between the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation and IWA-Sport in the build-up to the tournament to ensure everything was being adequately planned for.
The Event:
Venue
The choice of competition venue and team hotel could not have been better. Hotel and venue selection are very important for wheelchair sport events in terms of good access. Gormanston College had exactly what was required in terms of competition venue, while the close proximity and accessibility of the City North Hotel made for a relaxed environment for the participating teams.
Spectators
The event attracted great attendances from Irish fans over the three days of competition, whilst a small number of international spectators travelled to support their teams. With a long and proud tradition of hosting international events down through the years, building on the legacy of the London Paralympic Games was always important, and to be selected as one of the first Paralympic sport events post London is a great honour for IWA-Sport.
Volunteers
IWA Sport was very fortunate to avail of the services of a large number of volunteers during the event. Roles taken on by volunteers included: bus drivers, table officials, merchandise sales people, spectator liaison personnel, physios and caterers. Many of these volunteers took significant time off work and study to ensure the smooth running of the event.
Profile
IWA-Sport hosted this event in 2009 but this year’s edition attracted much more interest. A big part of this is down to the London games, in addition to the work of IWA-Sport’s development officers’ right around the country promoting all wheelchair sports. This has resulted in the continued growth of IWA-Sport’s profile.
Ireland’s Performance
The only disappointment of the event was Ireland’s failure to qualify. The Gaelic Warriors were unfortunate to lose their opening game against fancied opponents Czech Republic, going down by a single point. This meant the home side had an uphill battle from the outset to gain one of the two qualifying spots. The Irish team gave it their all, but it was not to be and the both the eventual qualifiers, Czech Republic and Holland, played consistently well throughout the tournament.
What next for Irish Wheelchair Sport in 2013?
There’s a busy year ahead for all IWA-Sport’s disciplines, with a full schedule of events four the high participation sports. Throughout 2013 IWA-Sport will co-ordinate eight athletics meets, the wheelchair basketball league and cups, wheelchair rugby league, and national championships in swimming, tennis and archery.
IWA-Sport members will also form part of the Paralympic panels competing in the first year of the Rio 2016 Paralympic cycle, attending the Athletics World Championships in France, the European Para-Table Tennis Championships in Italy and the World Swimming Championships in Montreal. Junior teams will also travel to the UK and the US to compete in athletics events.
….and for the Gaelic Warriors?
While the Wheelchair Rugby side will not be going to the European Championship, they do have a busy schedule ahead with the Bernd Best tournament in Germany, the Rugby Mania tournament in Czech Republic and the Swiss Low Points Tournament.
Ahead of Dive Ireland International 2013 which takes place place this weekend Eibhir Mulqueen, PRO of the Irish Underwater Council, tells us about how the potential of dive tourism in Ireland is being realised:
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The Government has recognised that scuba diving clubs and dive centres form part of the national tourism infrastructure in promoting Ireland’s rich dive sites.
Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan stated recently that the Government was committed to developing its archive of wrecks in Irish waters. “With the support of responsible dive centres and local dive clubs, which form a key part of our tourism infrastructure, these wrecks can be explored now and into the distant future by visitors from home and abroad.”
The Minister made his comments in the foreword to a recently launched Government publication, Warships, U-boats and Liners, which highlights 60 wreck sites in Irish waters and provides precise information on them using data from the Infomar seabed-mapping project.
Scuba diving is a growing industry and scuba tourists are recognising the potential of colder-water locations like Ireland for the unique and rich underwater features it has, along with its underwater archaeology. The growing scuba infrastructure also means that divers need never be far away from an air fill or from a dive boat and local knowledge.
Local authorities are also beginning to recognise the importance of developing water activities as a means of encouraging adventure tourism. With input from Comhairle Fo-Thuinn (CFT) – the Irish Underwater Council, Mayo County Council is pioneering the development of ‘Blue Ways’ to augment its Green Way walking trails. The Blue Way will list safe and attractive swimming and snorkelling areas along Mayo’s coast, along with lists of local guides.
For CFT, the challenge remains to continue to foster interest and expertise among its members and prospective members in diving and snorkelling. This year the organisation celebrates its 50th anniversary, and looking back over those five decades, it can be seen how scuba diving has developed from being a marginal, almost eccentric activity undertaken by a few mavericks following in Jacques Cousteau’s wake to an activity accessible by anybody of reasonable fitness and confidence in water.
We have over 70 clubs affiliated to the Underwater Council, which provides standards, training and a social network for its members. Diving and snorkelling appeals to people with a love of water and our natural heritage, and who want to indulge their sense of adventure, be it in our lakes and rivers or off our coast. Divers recently retrieved Viking-era swords from the River Shannon, near Banagher, and there have been many other such finds over the years. There is also the sense that diving essentially enables you to move freely in an alien environment.
If you don’t have $50 million to spare to book a seat on a trip to space, well a tiny fraction of that amount will get you set up to exploring an equally unknown environment that’s right on your doorstep.
Dive Ireland takes place in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone from March 2-3. Details can be found on the CFT website: http://diving.ie/
One of the biggest challenges for sports clubs during the winter and spring can be simply getting members to maintain their fitness and
training schedule. Even the most dedicated athletes can find it hard to leave the couch on cold, dark, wet, evenings but poor weather is no excuse not to keep active, as the old Irish saying goes, ‘You’re not a Disprin, you won’t dissolve!’ However, it’s not just waning levels of motivation you have to contend with, participating in sport during bad weather brings its own unique risks.
Cold conditions cause heat loss which places additional strain on the body. When your core body temperature drops, you use up more energy and ultimately impair your sporting performance. Sprains and strains are more likely in colder weather because cold muscles and connective tissue have less elasticity and are therefore more prone to injury. The most commonly reported accidents from athletes are falls and trips which become much more likely when performance and agility are compromised by the cold and fatigue. Darkness, wet blustery weather, poor visibility and slippery terrain all make training more dangerous.
Injuries and accidents can often be prevented with a little planning, preparation and the correct clothing, footwear and equipment. Unfortunately, despite taking precautions, your members could still sustain an injury. Seemingly minor accidents can result in lower and upper body fractures, dislocation of joints, tearing of ligaments and sprains which may require attendance at an emergency department, physiotherapy, hospitalisation and even surgery. Injuries can take weeks to heal and be very costly. Even a small accident could prevent your members from working and lead to loss of income for weeks or months.
One crucial part of your preparations as an NGB should be to ensure that you and your members are fully protected from potential accidents by having the right personal accident insurance. Personal accident insurance provides members with an income if they are unable to work because of an accident. National Governing Bodies and sport clubs can purchase this insurance on behalf of their members and include it as part of their standard annual subscription with significant potential savings being achieved by purchasing as a group. Alternatively, individual sports participants can take out this insurance themselves.
The Federation of Irish Sport offers a new group insurance scheme specifically designed for National Governing Bodies, sports clubs and individuals. All members can benefit from improved levels of cover and reduced insurance rates. So to make sure that you and your members are fully protected throughout the year contact Conn Mc Cluskey, Federation of Irish Sport on 01-6251155, conn.mccluskey@irishsport.ie or click here for more information: http://irishsport.ie/wpress/index.php/sport-insurance-scheme/
Social Media is a real game changer for sporting organisations, was the message to emerge out from January’s sports networking session hosted by the Federation of Irish Sport and legal partners Leman Solicitors.
The London 2012 Games was dubbed the ‘Socialympics’, never before never before had the public such a level access to the athletes, gaining as insight into their preparations and experiences leading up to and during the games. A social media revolution is taking place with technology advancing on an almost daily basis – check out this video:
In recognition of need for organisations to stay ahead of the game in online communications, the theme of Thursday’s discussion was ‘Effective Communication through Social Media’ with an emphasis on how CEOs/Leaders of National Governing Bodies for sport can use social media to communicate and promote/protect their sport.
Over twenty representatives from fifteen sports took part in the interactive discussion, led by social media guru and CEO of SocialMedia.ie, Conor Lynch, which provided participants with opportunity to meet with other leaders in sport in an informal setting to share experiences.
Using relevant Irish sport examples, Conor led the group through the different social media channels, latest trends and must have measurement and monitoring tools, leaving the the participants with some top tips on effective use of social media:
Facebook:
Post pictures more frequently
Decrease posting text only updates, fans do not interact with these
For maximum reach, post at 3pm or 8pm. Fans are most active and likely to share
Post consistently, at least once a day
Twitter:
Create a Twitter account if not already in place
Tweet latest news relating to the event/organisation
Tweet regularly, at least twice per day to start
For maximum reach, Tweet shareable content at 1pm
Use hashtags in your tweets
Engagement with followers is vital and Conor looked overseas to find the best example of how a sporting organisation is making social media work for them. Superbowl finalists, the Baltimore Ravens, are second to none when it comes to engaging with audiences on Facebook and Twitter – you can check out their pages here:
‘If your not measuring, your not managing’ – here are some top tools that you can use to see how you social media channels are performing, and maximise thier usage:
Here are some of the slides from Conor’s presentation:
The Federation of Irish Sport would like to thank Conor Lynch and Barry O’Sullivan of SocialMedia.ie for sharing their expertise with us and to Leman Solicitors for hosting the event.
Don’t forget to check out the Federation of Irish Sport’s media channels:
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