Rugby Shortlisted For Three Irish Sport Industry Awards
Caroline Meenan of Banbridge RFC who have been shortlisted for their work in developing Women's rugby in the club.
Banbridge RFC, Energia and the IRFU are amongst the shortlisted nominees in three categories of the Irish Sport Industry Awards.
Banbridge RFC have been shortlisted in the Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport & Physical Activity category.
Caroline Meenan, Director of Women’s & Girls Rugby at the club, spoke to IrishRugby.ie in November about the work being done which included social rugby nights and the Canterbury ‘Give It A Try’ Programme.
Caroline also used the lessons from the IRFU Leadership Development Programme to help bring together a team of people in the club who focused on developing the female game.
#NothingLikeIt: How Banbridge Are Transforming Their Club For Women And Girls. – click here
Energia’s sponsorship of the All-Ireland League has been shortlisted in the Best Sports Sponsorship Category.
Energia have brought a fresh new look to the league and have celebrated the core values of club rugby through activations such as the annual Energia AIL Awards – which returned to an in-person format this year after a ground-breaking live virtual show during the lockdown.
Energia’s celebration of the club game was also shown through the recent TG4 documentary which celebrated 30 years of the All-Ireland League.
Energia AIL: A 30 Year Legacy – click here
Finally, the IRFU has been shortlisted in the Best use of a Communications Platform in Sport category for its launch on TikTok.
Irish Rugby’s launch on TikTok is a line-in-the-sand moment for the Union as it embarks on a
period of digital transformation which will make the game more accessible and relatable to new generations of fans.
Although active on social media for many years with millions of followers, the IRFU’s presence on TikTok is deliberately different with community building at the heart of its activity.
TikTok’s sponsorship of the Women’s Six Nations is also an opportunity for Irish Rugby to directly engage with a young female audience involved in rugby by highlighting their experience in Give It A Try, Girls X7s, and the All-Ireland League.
Some of the most-loved posts on the account so far include can’t-miss moments of skill from the All Ireland League, the camaraderie of a team celebrating a new player’s first cap or the unique access of placing a viewer next to a kicker on an empty practice field.
The Judging Panel for the 2022 awards chaired by Rob Hartnett, Founder and CEO of Sport for Business, comprises members of the sports sector from media, business, PR, and local and national representative bodies.
Mary O’Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, said: “We are delighted to mark the return of the Irish Sport Industry Awards, in association with Clubforce. Sport is an integral part of the country’s social and economic fabric.
“The quality and large number of the entries received this year are testament to this. We are really looking forward to bringing together key stakeholders in the sports sector for this important evening of recognition in the value of sport to the Irish economy.
“I would like to say a big thank you to the national governing bodies, local sports partnerships and those in the sports sector that submitted entries this year.
“It was imperative for the Federation of Irish Sport to reinstate these awards following the lifting of restrictions and a very difficult two years for the sector.”
Best Sports Sponsorship – Nominees
SPAR Kellie Harrington Partnership
Energia All-Ireland League Sponsorship
Sky Ireland and FAI Women’s National Team
AIG Effort is Equal Sponsorship Portfolio
Indeed Ireland Partnership with Team Ireland Tokyo 2020 Games
Gala Retail Special Olympics Partnership
Best use of Communications Platform in Sport – Nominees
IRFU and TikTok
AIG Show Your Skills campaign
Gymnastics Ireland Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games social media campaign
Her Sport media platform dedicated to women in sport
Paralympics Ireland Team Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
Football Association of Ireland No Ref. No Game. Campaign
Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport & Physical Activity – Nominees
Rowing Ireland Women on the Water Programme
Swim Ireland Women in Sport Leadership Programme
Athletics Ireland Forerunners Programme
Banbridge Rugby Football Club Development of Women’s and Girls rugby
Irish Wheelchair Association 4-year Women in Sport Strategy
Ladies Gaelic Football Association Learn to Lead Programme