The Irish Football Association has been recognised in the 2023 Belfast Telegraph Business Awards.
The association lifted the Excellence in Marketing trophy in the annual awards, which were presented at a gala ceremony in Belfast’s Crowne Plaza Hotel.
The award was netted for a campaign celebrating the success and legacy created by the Northern Ireland senior women’s team’s qualification for UEFA Women’s Euro 2022.
The ‘A New Dream’ campaign was developed to build on the Irish FA’s girls’ and women’s strategy, which was launched in 2019 to further support and foster the development of the women’s game in Northern Ireland.
Taking on an animated style to appeal to a new target audience, it was rolled out across outdoor sites throughout Northern Ireland and was supported across social media channels, online and via fan zones both home and away.
An official song was launched along with two documentaries charting the team’s journey. In addition girls-only summer camps and football festivals were delivered.
The awards judges said: “A New Dream is a very impressive, innovative and creative campaign informed by extensive market research, demonstrating the positive impact and increased profile of the ladies’ campaign and elevating the senior players’ profiles.
“The Irish FA submission demonstrated a multi-channel approach to achieve its objectives, which included maximising support and profile for the Northern Ireland women’s team, inspiring more girls and women to play football.”
Stephen Bogle, Head of Sales and Marketing for the Irish FA, said: “A New Dream celebrates the success and legacy created by the Northern Ireland senior women’s team.
“They’ve inspired a whole new generation of girls and boys to play and watch football and we’re delighted the campaign has been recognised. This is just the start of something very special.”
Top Image: Irish FA representatives at the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards Stephen Garrett (Senior Commercial Manager), John Gillespie (Digital Content Manager), Stephen Bogle (Head of Sales and Marketing), Nigel Tilson (Senior Media Officer), Andy McComb (Senior Digital Content Producer) and Peter Shepherd (Conference & Events Sales Manager).
Bottom Image: Rajesh Rana, director of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, presents the Belfast Telegraph Excellence in Marketing award to Irish FA Head of Sales and Marketing Stephen Bogle (centre) and Irish FA Senior Media Officer Nigel Tilson (left).
