The Irish Sports Council have been out and about filming an additional four programmes to go alongside the Katie Taylor story as part of ‘The Journey 364’ initiative launched in December.
Special video content is being created around the stories of the preparation that goes into peaking at the right time on a world stage.
The next four athletes and groups to feature are Natalya Coyle from Modern Pentathlon, Annalise Murphy from Sailing, Darragh McDonald from Paralympic Swimming and the Ireland Cricket team.
“The Sports Council has a role to play in the development of sport as well as the funding through grants of teams, athletes and programmes,” said Head of Marketing Paul Farrell speaking to Sport for Business.
“The idea for the Journey arose from a desire to increase the brand value of sport and so leverage the investment of athletes themselves and the money provided by the taxpayer.”
“We see sport in the spotlight when it comes to the big occasion but this is about how people get to that point.”
“We trialled the concept last year following Katie Taylor, and launched with the Irish Times as part of its association with the Sports Woman of the Year awards.”
“The content which included behind the scenes footage of training in the gym and interviews with Katie and Pete Taylor went down really well and has been seen in a variety of formats including at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre as part of a sell out Boxing promotion in February.”
“During an Olympic year we knew we could not compete with companies like P&G for association with sports stars but we wanted to use some of the commercial tools to portray the Irish Sports Council investment in the best possible light.”
“Creating a professionally produced body of work which athletes and sports can use to present themselves and their story to the world will reap benefits in terms of understanding, commercial and popular support.”
Atomic Sport won the tender to produce both the first set of films with Katie Taylor and the next four in the series which will be released over the coming months.
“The Sports Council is helping some formidable athletes to tell their story to a wider audience, said Patrick Murphy of Atomic Sport. “We are bringing the storytelling creativity of the medium of video  to communicate the vital role the ISC plays in these stories, and also to highlight the values and qualities  of these athletes that make them champions in their respective sports.”

“The Journey series provides these athletes with a platform for generating additional support on their respective journeys, and raising the value of what they and others like them do in the eyes of potential commercial partners for sport in this country.”
“The Sports Council is helping some formidable athletes achieve some formidable goals. Atomic Sport are delighted to communicate the vital role the ISC plays in these stories, and also to highlight the values and qualities  of these athletes that make them champions in their respective sports.”

“Atomic Sport are working with the ISC on this project with the intention that it will provide these athletes with a platform for generating additional support on their respective journeys”