Shelbourne Football Club has today announced the leading multi-platform sports media brand in Ireland, Off The Ball, as its new Official Media Partner for the 2022 season.
The multifaceted partnership will see Shelbourne and Off the Ball join forces through exclusive feature interviews, podcast collaboration, online editorial content, and exclusive access to players on both Shelbourne’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division and Women’s National League teams for the 2022 season.
With Shelbourne FC Men’s First Team Head Coach, Damien Duff, taking over the reins at Tolka Park for 2022, Off The Ball will hold three exclusive feature interviews with the new Reds boss over the course of the season.
Shelbourne FC will also benefit from the use of state-of-the-art audio production facilities to record podcast material including the weekly The 1895 Podcast featuring broadcaster Darren Cleary and a wide range of Shels guests.
Other elements of the partnership will include:
● Physical pitch-side branding at Tolka Park for Off The Ball.
● Extensive digital media collaboration between Shelbourne and Off The Ball.
● Inclusion of weekly podcast items in OTB AM / PM shows.
● Shelbourne podcast items to be seeded via OTB’s football-related podcast feed.
Shelbourne FC Head of Media, Gavin White, said: “This announcement is a significant moment for our Club as we look to grow the Shelbourne brand ahead of an incredibly exciting season at Tolka Park in 2022.
"With Damien Duff taking over our Men’s First Team and our Women’s National League team looking to defend their Champions title, as well as the UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign to look forward to, it’s an incredibly exciting time at the Club. Off the Ball are the leading sports broadcast platform in the country and thus match our vision for excellence in all facets of the Club.
"It also represents a milestone for our media team with superb talent from the experienced broadcaster Darren Cleary, co-working tirelessly to provide value to our Club platforms. We’re very excited to work with Ger, Nathan and the whole Off The Ball team.”
Off The Ball Managing Director, Ger Gilroy, said: “We're delighted to be working with Shelbourne Men's and Women's teams as they build on their recent success. This partnership is important for us as we ramp up our coverage across all parts of the game in Ireland.
"Shelbourne's brilliant supporters' initiatives during the pandemic were a real signal of the depth of love that football fans in Ireland have for their clubs and our coverage will always try and reflect that. We can't wait to help bring the stories of Shelbourne's season alive.”
