The 2015 Liberty Insurance All Ireland Camogie Championship gets underway this weekend with a core aim of both the sport and the sponsor to attract more people to the games.
The Association is following up last year’s successful #OurGameYourGame campaign with more online video content that aims to get people more familiar with the stars of the sport.
Alongside this, Liberty Insurance’s #SupportHerSport pledging campaign, encouraging sports fans to take their daughters, nice, granddaughters and sisters to see top women’s sport this year will also be kicking into gear this Sunday, Fathers Day.
The campaign where people will be urged to make their pledge through social media and follow it up by attending games or events where Women’s sport can be seen at its best, arose out of the publication of Ireland’s first ever in depth look at how Women’s sport is seen and played.
The Wise Up Research, commissioned by Liberty Insurance and published at the Audience with Clare Balding in Dublin last week, revealed that young boys were 50% more likely to be brought to games as a child and that this had a major influence over how Women’s sport is perceived and followed.
“By virtue of our decision to partner with both the GAA Hurling & Camogie Championships in 2013, we in Liberty Insurance assumed a responsibility to drive the profile of women sports in Ireland,” said Head of Marketing Annette Ní Dhathlaoí.
“By showcasing the power, skill and commitment of its women athletes on an equal platform with Hurling players, we assertively obliged people to reappraise their view of Camogie.”
“Our ‘Wise Up’ research has confirmed that female participation in sport is strongly influenced by attending sporting events at a young age and therefore we are launching a pledging campaign to encourage parents to bring their children to sporting events.”
“The challenge to us all is to pledge to bring our daughters, younger sisters, or nieces to a women’s sporting fixture this year”.
With significant momentum building around the world behind Women’s team as well as individual sport this is a timely campaign which Liberty will be pushing hard throughout the summer.
The All Ireland Camogie Finals at Croke Park on September 13th will also receive a boost this year from being designated as a flagship event during the first European Week of Sport which is running from the 7th to the 13th of September.
The European Week of Sport is a new initiative from the European Commission, supported by the Irish Sports Council, and aimed at promoting sport and physical activity across Europe.
All Ireland champions Cork will begin the defence of their title against Galway, in the opening round of the Liberty Insurance Camogie Championship this coming Saturday (June 20th) at 3.00pm in O’Connor Park, Tullamore. The game is part of a double-header tie with the Leinster GAA Senior Championship hurling semi-final meeting between Galway and Laois at 5.00pm.
Dublin are also in action this weekend, getting their campaign underway on Saturday at home to Kilkenny in Parnell Park.
“We are looking forward immensely to championship 2015 and the meeting of Cork and Galway in the opening round, as part of a GAA double-header should prove to be a major draw for Camogie and GAA fans,” said Camogie Association President Catherine Neary.
“Strategic fixture planning and key marketing initiatives which serve to bring our game to a wider audience, afford us a greater platform and present our players as the committed, talented and ambitious athletes that they are, are all key points for Championship 2015.”
“We are also proud to support the pledging campaign of our partners Liberty Insurance and encourage sports fans to avail of the opportunities to see the game of Camogie and the players in action throughout the course of the season.”
The Association also announced plans for the selection of a Players’ Player of the Year, across three grades; Senior, Intermediate and Junior. The recipients will be announced at the Camogie All Star awards in Citywest on November 7th.
