The winners of the 2026 Federation of Irish Sport Industry Awards were announced last night before a full house at the College Green Banking Hall in Dublin, celebrating excellence across Irish sport, business, innovation, inclusion and sustainability.
Now in their ninth year, the awards once again highlighted the growing role of sport as a driver of economic growth, community development and international engagement, with the theme of sport as a form of Irish soft power running strongly throughout the evening.
Special guest speakers included Minister for Sport and Postal Policy Charlie McConalogue and Minister for International Development and Diaspora Neale Richmond, who took part in a fireside discussion examining how Ireland can use global sporting connections to strengthen diplomacy, tourism and trade.
Among the highlights of the evening was a presentation featuring previous New Sports Business of the Year winners Field of Vision and co-founder David Deneher. The company’s work combines audio descriptive commentary with tactile technology to create a more immersive sporting experience for visually impaired supporters.
There were 13 award categories presented on the night, recognising achievements in communications, commercial partnerships, innovation, collaboration, sustainability and inclusivity.
Best Commercial Partnership in Sport sponsored by Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing Partnership
Winner:
FAI and Sky Bound by Belief
Shortlisted:
GAA and Irish Life Healthy Clubs Programme
LGFA and Lidl Ireland #SeriousSupport
Athletics Ireland McCabes Pharmacy Fit For Life
Best Use of Communications Platforms in Sport & Physical Activity sponsored by MWX Media Ltd.
Winner:
Badminton Ireland & Sport Narrative AIG VICTOR Irish Open
Shortlisted:
Tennis Ireland Davis Cup & Irish Open
Basketball Ireland Spotlight Her
FAI League of Ireland “It’s a Way of Life”
Best Initiative to Promote Sustainability in Sport sponsored by MyWaste.ie
Winner:
Golf Ireland Drive The Green
Shortlisted:
GAA Green Club Programme
Munster Rugby: A Different Approach to Impact
Clare Local Development Company LEADER, SICAP and rural recreation
Best Initiative to Promote Disability in Sport & Physical Activity sponsored by Sport Ireland
Winner:
Special Olympics: Transforming Lives Through Sport
Shortlisted:
Kildare Local Sports Partnership The Kildare Inclusivity Festival
Swim Ireland Swim Access Project
Golf Ireland Golf4All
Liquid Therapy: Making Waves Project
Best Initiative to Promote Diversity, Equality & Inclusion in Sport & Physical Activity
Winner:
Virgin Media, PHD and Diageo Ireland Audio Description (AD), Irish Sign Language (ISL), and inclusive production
Shortlisted:
Irish Sailing Watersports Inclusion Games
Laois Sports Partnership Outdoor Survivalist Camps
Wicklow Sports & Recreation Partnership &Trail Criú Building Inclusive Communities Through Trail Running
Best Initiative to Promote Women in Sport & Physical Activity
Winner:
Athletics Ireland Girls Squad Programme
Shortlisted:
Boxing Ireland LEAP Programme
Canoeing Ireland: Bridging the Gap
Tennis Ireland Women in Tennis Programme
Longford Sports Partnership Roma Women CVICINES & SASTO – Sport & Health Inclusion Pilot
Best New Sports Business of the Year
Winner:
Sports Impact Technologies
Shortlisted:
Grow Sport
Anyscor
Colata
Best Sports Business of the Year
Winner:
Torpey
Shortlisted:
ForeFront group
FAI LOITV
DB Sports
Local Sport Partnership of the Year
Winner:
Meath Sports Partnership
Shortlisted:
Laois Sports Partnership
Longford Sports Partnership
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Sports Partnership
National Governing Body of the Year sponsored by Marsh
Winner:
Golf Ireland
Shortlisted:
Football Association of Ireland
Athletics Ireland
Special Olympics Ireland
Outstanding Achievement and Contribution to Sport Award, presented by the Federation of Irish Sport
Winner:
Helen O’Rourke
KPMG Women in Sport Award, sponsored by KPMG Ireland
Winner:
Moira Aston
Jimmy Magee Sports Coverage of the Year Award, in partnership with the Association of Sports Journalists in Ireland
Winner:
Greg Allen
One of the most warmly received moments of the evening came with the presentation of the Outstanding Achievement and Contribution to Irish Sport Award to Helen O’Rourke for her decades of service to Ladies Gaelic Football and Irish sport.
Over a 28-year period as first President and then CEO of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, O’Rourke oversaw transformative growth in the women’s game, helping to secure landmark partnerships, grow participation and attendances, and guide the organisation through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The KPMG Women in Sport Award was presented to Moira Aston in recognition of her leadership at Canoeing Ireland since 2018, where she has driven governance reform, inclusion and gender balance initiatives within the sport.
Meanwhile, veteran broadcaster Greg Allen received the Jimmy Magee (ASJI) Sports Coverage of the Year Award. Allen joined the RTÉ radio sports department in 1984 and has become one of the defining voices of Irish sports broadcasting through coverage of Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships and Ireland’s major golfing successes.
Speaking on the night, Federation of Irish Sport CEO Mary O’Connor said the awards reflected the growing strength and importance of the wider sports industry in Ireland.
“The Federation is delighted to host the 9th annual Irish Sport Industry Awards, recognising and rewarding excellence in the business of sport and entrepreneurship and the immeasurable work being done by our National Governing Bodies in Sport and the National Network of Local Sports Partnerships,” she said.
“Today, the Irish sports industry stands as a powerful economic engine, a global innovation hub, and a vital cornerstone of our social fabric.”
Minister McConalogue also highlighted the economic and societal value of sport, noting that sport and sport-related activity now supports more than 64,000 full-time equivalent jobs in Ireland and contributes more than €3.7 billion in gross value added to the economy.
“The Irish Sport Industry Awards are an important means of showcasing and celebrating the consistent excellence on display in the sports industry in the country,” he said.
“They are a recognition of the close collaborative relationship between sport and business.”
Eleven of the winners from the night are full members of Sport for Business.
If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport, email us today and let’s see what is possible.
Image Credit: Federation of Irish Sport and Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile
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