Camogie Association to seek broadcast partner

The Camogie Association is to actively pursue a broadcasting partner for next year in a bid to develop the profile of the sport.

Chief executive Joan O’Flynn made the announcement at yesterday’s launch of the association’s four-year plan, which was also attended by the Association president Catherine Neary and Sport Ireland CEO John Treacy.

The objective will be to establish new commercial and promotional relationships on a par with those that exist with AIB and Liberty Insurance. The goal of securing integration with the GAA and LGFA has been emphasised and it is expected that significant progress will be made in this regard by 2019.

On the pitch, the Camogie Association aims to provide greater assistance to club players, in particular, and to establish a fixture programme that reflects the changing face of the game. It is also hoped that the challenges faced by dual players in terms of fixture clashes and twofold insurance requirements would be addressed.

Player retention and an increase in attendances, as well as providing support to coaches, referees, and administrators are also included in the in-depth document.

The plan, Our Sport, Our Future, is the result of a lengthy consultative process between the Camogie Association and its many stakeholders, with 1,000 people interviewed in the report’s compilation. The feedback has led to a series of targets designed to secure a more sustainable future for camogie as part of the wider Gaelic games family. Neary said the main purpose of the strategy was to ensure camogie moves with the current trends as a sports organisation and remains at the forefront of women’s sport in Ireland.

“With this national development plan, the aim is to build a prosperous and high-profile future for camogie, without letting go of the game’s proud heritage and history,” said the president.

“We want to make sure camogie remains as a strong voice within the national sporting conversation, and part of an inclusive Gaelic games family into the future.

“The plan is a product of a huge analysis process undertaken by the association with its stakeholders. The opportunity to collect both positive and negative feedback by those most invested in the game has ensured that we can work more collaboratively on delivering on and addressing any issues that exist over the next four years.

Neary continued: “Promoting the game is a key part of the plan, and we’re keen to leverage the profile of individual players by positioning them as role models at local and national level for girls and young women who might like to take up the game.

“Developing new commercial partnerships will also play a part in promoting camogie. In recent years, the game has benefited hugely from the involvement of sponsors like AIB and Liberty Insurance, and I think there’s a lot of other brands out there looking at the growth and the potential of camogie and thinking that is somewhere they’d like to be. Change is also firmly on the agenda, and we have committed to a series of organisational and structural changes that are designed, ultimately, to benefit clubs and players.

“The more support we can give our players, the happier they will be and the more new recruits we will attract to camogie; that’s what we are working towards.”