Public Relations Officer Report Meath Athletics Board 2011 Convention 2 February 2011

Public Relations Officer Report

Meath Athletics Board 2011 Convention   

2 February 2011

As in each of my previous years in the role of public relations officer for this board I have given my best to cover all athletic activities in the county.  I have tried at all times to give clubs in the county unbiased and balanced coverage. We in Meath are lucky to have some quality local papers, proper local radio coverage and access to national exposure through the Irish runner and the Evening Herald.

The coverage which our sport receives in the press and radio continues to be vitally important and should not be underestimated. We should be trying to complement this by increasing our use of "new media" to promote and report through websites and social networks.

There have been a few changes in the media during the past year. Two local newspaper titles went out of business and one was reincarnated. The decision of Meath County Council to discontinue the  "Communities Online Together" system was a big blow to the county board and the clubs which had use of that great facility.The great value of the system was its ease of use. The high number of visitors which the county site and various club site attracted proved its effectiveness, importance and impact.I am very grateful to Meath County Council and particularly Siobhan O'Connor and Joe Tighe for their help with COT down the years. I would recommend the use of a blog to any club which wants to get back online in a manner which does not require massive techie knowledge.

The expanded race league for 2011 presents an opportunity to promote the
sport among recent recruits. The local press seem to be more attracted to
these mass participation events. The reasons for this are obvious, some
local races have doubled their entries over the past 5 years.In these times of financial restraint good press coverage is important when trying to maintain or acquire commercial sponsorship. Clubs must be on the ball with race reports and photographs to maximise the impact in a positive way.

 People who enter road races nowadays like to see internet reports, complete results and photos sooner rather than later. During the year there were a number of references to the need for uniformity in the format of the race league events. A good place to start would be with age categories and prompt reports and results. Publicity is another aspect which can and should be coordinated this year with a referral system incorporated into race entry and results materials. A media launch would be a good way to raise the profile of the races and their promoting clubs.

County  championships in cross country and track and field had good coverage last year.  Thespecial promotions done with schools were successful. I feel that we are not fully developing the potential of the primary schools development project. Better communication and advance notice for clubs would leave them better positioned to encourage new members on foot of the visits.

Clubs have to keep knocking on the door with press reports about their members at Leinster and national level. The schools championships results are very often as a result of coaching and encouragement from club level. Clubs should be quicker off the mark to claim the credit. This is the bonus coverage. We need our young achievers to feel appreciated. The best way to achieve this is to publicly give them the credit they are due.

The importance of social networking sites especially Facebook was apparent
in a number of athletics promotions in the county. I can vouch for the effectiveness of this in the fact that my own clubs promotion The Braveheart 5km Trail Run had nearly two hundred positive responses in advance. It meant we were reasonably confident of a good crowd on the night. Last Sunday morning a duathlon in Summerhill had its entire entry list filled in advance on Facebook.  There were similar promotions undertaken by Dunshughlin AC, Dunboyne AC and St Brigids during the past year.

The race pre entry systems used by some of the clubs in the road race league
has proven to be a great way to bring in many non affiliated athletes. It has helped increase revenue from increased entries and gone back into club development.
 
 I continue to be disappointed by the apathy of some clubs towards publicity and promotion. In mid January I emailed nearly sixty contacts throughout the county requesting information about their clubs for inclusion on the new blog and for Leinster Athletics . At the time of writing this report I am disappointed by the fact that less than fifty per cent of clubs have responded to my requests for basic club information. Yesterday I received a breakdown from Athletics Leinster confirming details requestedd only came from five clubs. In addition  the contact details of three others was known due to them having representation at Leinster. I think you will agree that this represents a  "moderate to poor" response.

The local press and radio have been helpful again this year in their coverage. I find them to be cooperative and responsive. It is up to individual clubs to appoint people who can promote their club activities. Athletics must face up to the challenge that if we want to improve our coverage in local media it is up to us to provide the news. Locally and
nationally gaelic games, soccer, horse racing and increasingly rugby enjoy the lions share of media space. That is a matter of fact. Change will come when all clubs improve their act.
 
During the year I have received help with reports and photos from Gerard
Heery, Paddy Mangan, Brendan Meade and Chris Grant at events I was absent
from , thanks to you all .
 
In summary I thank my fellow officers for their cooperation during the year,
Sharon in the sports development office, the sports editors, reporters,
photographers ,the AAI & Athletics Leinster webmaster..

Ciaran Tobin

PRO Meath Athletics

Ciaran Tobin

PRO Meath Athletics