Irish sport club management app Clubforce has partnered with the youth and community development charity the Rio Ferdinand Foundation to drive diversity in sport.
The charity was set up in 2012 by former Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand to work with the UK's most disadvantaged communities and has since expanded to Ireland with regional hubs in Manchester, London and Belfast.
The Clubforce app allows volunteers to manage all aspects of their sporting club on a single platform and is now used by more than 2,000 clubs in Ireland.
The partnership with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation comes after Clubforce agreed strategic partnerships with several sports tech businesses and appointed former Microsoft executive Noel Murray as its new CEO in January.
The deal allows Clubforce to enter into the UK market, with plans for a full launch in Britain to come.
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"As we grow in the UK we are delighted to partner with Rio Ferdinand, Gary Stannett and his team, and support the excellent work they are doing on the ground," Murray said.
Rachel Kavanagh, CMO of Clubforce, said: "We are full of admiration for the work done by the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, especially for girls.
"I’m especially excited to hear about programs such as GoGirl, building the confidence of young women and girls to achieve their potential.
"We’re looking forward to contributing to the efforts made by the Foundation to drive inclusion and sports participation across genders in both geographies.”
The organisations said that their missions are "similarly aligned" as Clubforce strives to "encourage health and well-being through sport as well as inclusivity, diversity, and participation for all."
The Rio Ferdinand Foundation now helps an estimated 10,000 young people to address inequalities in their day-to-day lives and creates opportunities for them to fulfil their potential and drive social change on a greater scale.
The charity provides support under four strategic themes: safe spaces; health and wellbeing; strong, safe and inclusive communities; and progression, skills and employability.
Commenting on the partnership, Ferdinand said: "We are delighted to collaborate with a community-focused software company developing technology to promote sports participation and make sport accessible to all. We are on the same journey."
The latest available accounts for Net Beo Teoranta, trading as Clubforce, show the company made a profit of €295,000 in 2020 while employing 16 people in management, sales and administration.
Galway-based Clubforce announced plans to increase its workforce to 40 and accelerate product development following a €2.5m investment last February. Following Murray's appointment earlier this year, founder Warren Healy assumed the role of chief product officer.
Clubforce's partners include Connacht Rugby, the Federation of Irish Sport, STATSports and Output sports, and it has technical integration with both the FAI and GAA platforms.
Photo: Rachel Kavanagh; Gary Stannett, CEO of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation; and Noel Murray. (Pic: INPHO/James Crombie)
