Pictured at the re-launch of The Munster Express/Azzurri Sport Team of the Month awards scheme at Azzurri, Kilcohan were, from left: Liz McGough (Advertising Manager, The Munster Express), Conan Watt (Azzurri Sport) and Dermot Keyes (News Editor/Chief Gaelic Games Writer, The Munster Express).

Pictured at the re-launch of The Munster Express/Azzurri Sport Team of the Month awards scheme at Azzurri, Kilcohan were, from left: Liz McGough (Advertising Manager, The Munster Express), Conan Watt (Azzurri Sport) and Dermot Keyes (News Editor/Chief Gaelic Games Writer, The Munster Express).

The Munster Express/Azzurri Sport Team of the Month scheme, one of the longest standing sports award collaborations in the south east, has been given a makeover by both sponsors!
The scheme, which was recently re-launched at Azzurri Sports’ Headquarters in Kilcohan, will now reward three teams each month, with a full team kit and further top-class sports equipment by Azzurri Sport, featuring Munster Express branding, now up for grabs. According to Munster Express Advertising Manager Liz McGough: “We’re absolutely delighted to get the revived Team of the Month scheme up and running again.
“Over the years, The Munster Express has developed a great working relationship with Azzurri Sport, a fantastic Waterford-developed product which has kitted out a range of successful teams at all grades across different sports, including of course the victorious Waterford minor hurling team last year, and we wish the minors well this Sunday for their All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny.
“These awards recognise the fun of sport, because sport, especially in its first few years, ought to be about enjoyment for all our young players and athletes. And if you enjoy it, the chances are you’ll stick with it, train hard, improve and, if everything goes to plan, end up as part of a successful team, and it’s been a great source of pride for us, as Waterford’s leading newspaper, to see our name emblazoned across so many Azzurri-produced kits over the years thanks to this fantastic initiative.
“The Munster Express and Azzurri Sport are two brands synonymous with Waterford, synonymous with positivity and synonymous with sport at all levels in the city, county and region, and I’m delighted that that both Azzurri and ourselves have given this initiative a new lease of life.”
Conan Watt, Sales Manager of Azzurri Sport, echoed Liz McGough’s sentiments. “It’s great to support teams, be they local clubs or schools, through a scheme like this, and we’re looking forward to presenting our August recipients with their prizes when the time comes, and of course, it’s slightly different this time around.
“Instead of having one winner, as had been the case up to now, we’re going to have three recipients each month, and at the end of the year, all of those winners will be up for the annual overall prize, which we will present in early 2015.
“From a branding perspective, this is a great awards scheme, and thanks to The Munster Express, Azzurri Sport has received great exposure when it comes to supporting the various award winners we’ve had up to now.
“Every month, the winners will be invited to our factory here at Kilcohan to accept their prize, and I’m confident that the great Waterford public, and indeed the wider area in which The Munster Express circulates, will nominate a host of teams across different sports that we will be proud to be associated with in due course.
“We appreciate the great local support we receive from the many teams we supply across various codes, and these awards represent a means by which we, as a local business, can give something back to our locality.
“This scheme is open to all sports, so we’d encourage PROs, coaches and parents alike to submit their nominations to The Munster Express, to tell us their stories about the teams which they believe are worthy of consideration for our monthly awards.”
So get cracking with those nominations to be in with a shot of winning a fantastic prize in this most worthy of sporting initiatives. We’d love to hear from you!