The Federation of Irish Sport 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.
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
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.
