Liberty Insurance has added another layer to its involvement across Gaelic Games. It has been named as the official sponsor of the GAA National Games Development Conference on January 10th and 11th.
The 2014 event is the 11th annual conference and was previously sponsored by Lucozade Sport. This years theme is focused on support around the coaching of children. That theme may have been difficult to carry through under a sports energy banner but Liberty is a family centred brand that poses no difficulties in the area of child or youth sport.
There will be a specific forum on Games Development Research on the Friday evening of the Croke Park event. This will draw on research from young students in third level education from around the country and it is hoped this will encourage further interest in the area.
Speaking on behalf of Liberty Insurance at the launch, Annette Ní Dhathlaoi, Head of Marketing said, “We are delighted to build on our association with the GAA and Camogie Associations to become the title sponsor of the GAA National Games Development Conference.”
“Liberty Insurance has a significant heritage in responsible coaching in the US, and we look forward to working closely with the Games Development committee in adding value to the continued development of all those involved with coaching within the wider GAA.”
The US approach was highlighted on Sport for Business back in April of this year when we wrote:
Liberty Mutual Insurance, the parent company of Liberty Insurance here in Ireland, has announced the third year of a major drive in the United States to promote responsible behaviour across the full range of youth sporting activities.
The initiative is undertaken in partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance and seeks to identify and applaud acts of sportsmanship, selflessness, integrity, fairness, and honesty from youth sports across the US.
Teams, coaches and parents are invited to submit nominations through the year and the company says it will also keep a close eye on media stories at local level to include cases where humility may prevent a nomination.
The “Top 10 Responsible Sports Moments” will be announced at the end of the year, after voting through social media.
The support of the Games Conference is another layer to the company’s involvement across the GAA. It delivered a breakthrough moment when signing up as the first sponsor to give equal billing to the All Ireland Hurling and Camogie Championships and has activated the relationship in year one through a variety of effective means.
The extension of the Responsible Moments initiative could find a supportive audience in Ireland and with a template already created in the US is something which may well form part of the company association with sport over the remaining four years of the deal with the GAA.
One of the main themes of Sport for Business in 2014 will be a focus on Youth Sport. This will include a conference to be held at UCD Smurfit Business School on the subject on June 12th. If you are interested in being part of that conference please contact us today as we will shortly be convening a steering group for this event.
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