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 announced this afternoon (Tuesday, June 16th) at the official launch of the 2015 Liberty Insurance Camogie Championship in Croke Park.
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.
Players from this year’s Liberty Insurance Camogie Championship, including Cork captain Ashling Thompson joined with the President of the Camogie Association Catherine Neary and Annette Ní Dhathlaoí, Head of Marketing, Liberty Insurance to officially launch the championship series.
Following on from the success of last year’s campaign, Our Game Your Game 2015 was also unveiled with a new video featuring Thompson and Kilkenny’s Katie Power. Unique content and imagery, featuring the power, skill and athleticism of the game of Camogie and those who play it will be unveiled throughout the season. People can follow the series and tweet on #ourgameyourgame
This year, the campaign features the stories of inter-county players; Niamh McGrath, Sarah Dervan, (Galway), Ashling Thompson, Briege Corkery (Cork), Katie Power, Edwina Keane, (Kilkenny), Caoimhe Costello, (Limerick) and Mary Leacy, (Wexford).
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.
The Camogie Association also urged all Gaelic games and Camogie fans to support the pledging campaign, unveiled by Liberty Insurance on Thursday, June 11th at the launch of their research into female participation in sport called “Wise Up” compiled by Millward Brown and Onside Marketing.
Launch of the 2015 Liberty Insurance Camogie Championship Season, Croke Park, Dublin 16/6/2015
Pictured at the launch of the 2015 Liberty Insurance Camogie Championship season in Croke Park on Tuesday, June 16th were: Galway’s Sarah Dervan, Wexford’s Shelley Kehoe, Clare’s Carol O’Leary, Kilkenny’s Kate McDonald, Derry’s Grainne O’Kane, Limerick’s Sarah Carey, Offaly’s Sheila Sullivan, Cork’s Ashling Thompson, Dublin’s Elaine O’Meara and Cit Devane of Tipperary.
This yearÕs championship throws in on June 20th with title holders Cork beginning the defence of their crown against Galway as part of a double header fixture with the GAA Leinster Senior Hurling semi-final meeting in OÕConnor Park, Tullamore. Following the success of last yearÕs Our Game Your Game campaign which aimed to change the perception of the game of camogie, it returns for Championship 2015. This season, it will feature the stories of inter-county players Ashling Thompson, Briege Corkery (Cork), Katie Power, Edwina Keane, (Kilkenny), Niamh McGrath, Sarah Dervan (Galway), Caoimhe Costelloe, (Limerick), Mary Leacy (Wexford) with unique imagery and content on digital and print unveiled throughout the summer season. Our Game Your Game 2015 will tell the stories of inter-county camogie players, conveying the power and athleticism of the game and the dedication, commitment and ambition of its players.
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Cathal Noonan
As part of this event, Liberty Insurance called on all parents and families to pledge to bring daughters, nieces and grand-daughters to sporting fixtures. People can tweet their pledge on #SupportHerSport.
Speaking at the launch Camogie Association President Catherine Neary said:
“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.
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.”
Also speaking in Croke Park, Annette Ní Dhathlaoí Head of Marketing for Liberty Insurance said:
“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. 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.
She continued, “Our 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. So the challenge to us all is to pledge to bring our daughters, younger sisters, or nieces to a women’s sporting fixture this year”.
This season also sees the introduction of the advantage rule following approval at annual Congress in March. The rule comes into effect, when play is waved on for five seconds and if no advantage occurs in that time, a free is then awarded.
It was also confirmed that the Liberty Insurance All Ireland Camogie finals (taking place September 13th) have been 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 and supported by the Irish Sports Council, aimed at promoting sport and physical activity across Europe.
To follow all the action on the 2015 Liberty Insurance Camogie Championship check out facebook.com/officialcamogie, follow @officialcamogie or hashtag #ourgameyourgame and via YouTube.com/officialcamogie
