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Newry based company STATSports have sealed a ground-breaking deal with the U.S. Soccer Federation which should see millions of registered footballers wearing performance technology similar to that used by the game’s top players within three years.
STATSports is the world’s leading provider of GPS player tracking and analysis solutions for elite sports teams and is worn by athletes during practice games and matches to collect intricate data on their performance and physical wellbeing.
The partnership with the US Soccer Federation will result in the world’s largest player data monitoring programme and is seen as a platform to identify future stars of the game in the U.S. It is also the first step towards giving footballers at all levels across the U.S. access to the performance technology used by the top professionals and teams around the world.
Worn in a vest and positioned between the shoulder blades, the APEX Athlete Monitoring devices quantify physical performance including, physical load and movement during training and matches. The high-resolution units measure physical metrics including distance, speed, acceleration, deceleration, high-speed running, load and heart rate. A typical training session will see millions of data points collected on a player, providing an unparalleled insight into their performance.
STATSports’ suite of player development hardware and software provides U.S. Soccer coaches, high performance staff and players the ability to holistically analyse each player’s individual response to training sessions and games, through real-time feedback. This ability will continue to remain a crucial element in enhancing performance on the field while also reducing the chances of players under-training or picking up injuries through over-training.
“We are extremely excited to partner with STATSports,” U.S. Soccer Director of Sport Development Ryan Mooney said. “This technology will drive our support, improve performance, and better monitor health and safety across all of our National Teams and our nation’s elite players in the Development Academy. By partnering with a world leader in wearable performance tracking, we will help drive and improve player environments through the exchange of data between clubs and U.S. Soccer as players enter and leave National team camps. Over time, this information will be used to research, support and educate the entire landscape."
STATSports Group Managing Director Jarlath Quinn said. “Players, parents and coaches are looking for data that can really help them improve and the APEX Athlete series GPS units do just that.
“Our expectation is for millions of registered players in the U.S. to be wearing these devices by 2022 and this will revolutionise the way young players train, recover and perform. This will be the world’s largest data collection programme on athletes in any sport across both professional and recreational levels. The information is so rich it enables everyone to make better decisions on training and performance.
“Key Performance Indicators are emerging by position that will assist with developing national standards, player development initiatives, national team selections, in-game tactical considerations, reviewing training responses in real time and adjusting practices based upon environmental change and conditions.”
The system can stream data to a phone, iPad or smart watch giving the option during training for player actions to be adapted in real time as necessary.
STATSports already supply clubs in the English Premier League, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur and the Brazil, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and England football associations. NFL, NHL, Rugby Union, NBA, Track and Field and Hockey also use the company’s APEX Team Series GPS units which provide real-time data to players and coaches to drive improved performance.
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Over 50 social enterprises and their supporters attended a celebration of the work of the sector at WIN Business Centre. The event was part of the Social Enterprise Newry Mourne Down programme which is an innovative programme of support helping individuals and groups explore new social enterprise ideas to help them find sustainable socially innovative solutions to local social problems.
Local Social Enterprises sell goods and services in the open market, then reinvest the money they make back into their business or the local community. This allows them to tackle social problems, improve people's life chances, support communities and help the environment. So when a social enterprise profits society profits.
Participants on the programme include those working in social farming, horticulture, craft, training, retail, childcare, catering, day-care, health & wellbeing, sport, counselling, media production, alternative therapies, yoga and meditation.
Speakers included Colin Jess, Director, Social Enterprise Northern Ireland; Cllr Roisin Mulgrew, Chairperson, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council; Dr Conor Patterson, CEO, Newry and Mourne Co-Operative and Enterprise Agency and Denise Cowan and Stephen McClelland, SENMD Programme.
Representing some of the social enterprises the programme has supported Jacinta Linden from SPACE NI, with bases in Newry and Kilkeel spoke about their formation and how they support people and communities. Jenna Stevenson also spoke about setting up the Made in Mourne brand based in Kilkeel, which gives an outlet for local creatives to sell their products. The enterprise took just 98 days to open, with the help of many people freely giving their time and donations.
The Newry Mourne and Down District Council programme delivered jointly by Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency and Down Business Centre provides tailored 1-2-1 support to individuals, community groups and organisations with ideas development, market research, strategy, company setup, business planning, start-up support and levering in financial and other resources.
The programme also facilitate co-operation and co-production to strengthen the social enterprise network across the council district through building partnerships, group mentoring and networking events.
Ends
Event was on Thursday 29 March 2018
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Backspindle Games in Newtownards has implemented a Kickstarter campaign for its MourneQuest board game targeting the international hobby market.
The MourneQuest board game is filled with creatures and characters from the Irish fantasy novel of the same name by Garry McElherron from Newry. It is the latest in a series of innovative board games that Backspindle has created with support from Invest Northern Ireland.
There is nine days left of the Kickstarter campaign and you can check it out and add your support at www.kickstarter.com
Backspindle Games benefited from trade development support to attend SPEIL and Gen Con in 2017, the original, longest-running gaming convention in the world. These visits offered valuable profile and networking opportunities among potential new customers and distributors.
Commenting on its progress, David Brashaw of Backspindle Games, said: “The hobby market is a growing industry, particularly in the US and Germany and we are excited to profile our latest product offering to an international audience.
“Invest NI’s support has been instrumental in bringing the concept of MourneQuest to life. Its technical experts helped us to create the game’s 3D sculptures which have been generating encouraging feedback from gaming enthusiasts.
Invest NI’s support has been instrumental in bringing the concept of MourneQuest to life.
Commenting David Brashaw of Backspindle Games said “The help we’ve been offered previously to exhibit and market our product offering at gaming conventions such as Gen Con has resulted in new export business and increased our profile among key influencers.”
Mark Bleakney, Invest NI’s Southern Regional Office Manager, added: “Backspindle Games is operating in a market with considerable growth potential. The business has a popular product offering among international board gamers and this Kickstarter campaign it’s an exciting stage in its development. We are delighted to be supporting this entrepreneurial business make its ambition a reality.”
BackSpindle Games Ltd specialises in the creation and design of strategy board games and has created this digital animation to explain how to play MourneQuest.
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History was made this morning for Newry based MJM Group, when crusie ship Azamara Pursuit sailed into Belfast for a massive refit by the firm. The work which will be carried out at Harland and Wolff involves complete interior refurbishment of the Royal Caribbean Cruise vessel.
It's an unprecedented, potential game changer both for MJM Group and the global cruise ship industry, as it represents the first time a cruise ship owner has awarded complete project management responsibility to an individual organisation. It is also the largest project of its kind in many years in a UK port and offers the opportunity to reinvigorate the ship building and repair industry in Belfast.
Gary Annett, CEO, MJM Group said, “We are delighted to welcome the Azamara Pursuit safely to Belfast following its two-week journey from the Bahamas. Watching her berth at Harland and Wolff is the fulfilment of long held ambition of MJM Group founder and Chair Brian McConville to bring a project of this scale to Belfast. This truly is historic not just for MJM Group but for the marine industry and there is a real sense that the eyes of the marine world are firmly on us and on Northern Ireland.
“This has the potential to open up Belfast for further work of this scale and to offer a major boost to the local economy. At any given time in the next couple of months there may be up to 800 of our people and crew working on the ship. We want all of these people, if they are not familiar with this part of the world, to experience some of what Northern Ireland and Belfast has to offer.”
Richard Twynam, Azamara Club Cruises Managing Director, UK and Ireland spoke of his delight at the refit taking place at Harland and Wolff in Belfast.
Jonathan Guest, Director, Business Development & Improvement, Harland & Wolff said, “We are delighted to be working with MJM Group in providing the berthing, support and other services for this fantastic project. We are all acutely aware of Belfast’s rich maritime history and it is great to be part of providing a major boost for this traditional industry here today.”
The Azamara Pursuit will be docked in Belfast for several months while the full refit is carried out and will then sail for to Southampton at the end of July ahead of its 'Newry' refurbished maiden voyage from Southampton to Norway on 1 August 2018.
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Newry firm STATSports have signed a deal to provide its player monitoring devices to the elite teams of one of the world’s greatest footballing nations, Brazil.
The deal ties up a long-term partnership with the Brazil Football Confederation (CBF) which will see it provide its pioneering APEX Team Series GPS device to all National teams within the federation.
Gilberto Ratto, Marketing Director at the Brazilian Football Confederation said “Physical performance has become a key factor to achieving success in football, and GPS tracking enabled by STATSports equipment is a benchmark in this global market. We are confident that this partnership will be of utmost importance to efforts carried out by the Brazil National Team’s Coaching Staff”.
STATSports’ APEX Team Series GPS device will be worn by Brazil during this summer’s World Cup in Russia with other nations including world champion’s Germany, European champions Portugal, Belgium, England, Poland, Denmark and Morocco among the other nations availing of STATSports world leading technology during the tournament. The technology is also used by many of the world’s biggest sporting organisations across the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, MLS, NFL, NBA, Rugby Union and hockey.
STATSports will provide all CBF teams with its revolutionary APEX Team Series GPS device which tracks each athlete’s performance during practice sessions and games and provides direct and invaluable real-time feedback to coaching staff and players. The device worn by players measures and analyses physical attributes of players. It can provide feedback on many metrics such as distance covered, speed, acceleration and even insights on player load as well as the level of fatigue and injury risk of the athlete/player.
Guilherme Passos, Physiologist at the Brazilian Football Confederation said “We want to make sure we leave no stone unturned when it comes to our preparation for this summer’s World Cup and beyond.
Mr Passos continued “A key part of this preparation is the technology we use to monitor the load we are placing on our players during sessions. Having thoroughly assessed all available products on the market, it quickly became apparent that STATSports were the only provider who could match the ambitions of the Confederation. We are delighted to have everything finalised and to welcome STATSports as the Official Performance Monitoring Partner of the Brazilian Football Confederation for many years to come.”
STATSports, Co-Founder and CCO, Sean O’Connor said:
“This agreement with the Brazilian Football Confederation is huge for STATSports. Brazil are an iconic brand in world football, with a rich history of success. We look forward to supporting Brazil to further on-field success at this summer’s World Cup and for many years to come. For the CBF to swap performance monitoring provider at this stage in the build-up to a World Cup is a huge decision and illustrates the excellence of the Apex system which is used by dozens of international football’s leading nations.
“Our APEX device gives coaches access to real-time data on individual players and the team as a whole during training and matches. This means Brazil can tailor each training session to ensure that players reach peak condition come matchday, giving them the opportunity to perform at their best on the biggest stage.”
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Time is running out for local small businesses and individuals to enter the 2018 Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards. There are 14 award categories to enter and the closing date for entries, Friday 27 April is fast approaching. You can find out more and enter at www.businesseyeawards.co.uk
Open to businesses based in Northern Ireland with 50 employees or less, top performers across sectors including technology, agri food, manufacturing and tourism will be recognised as well as a headline ‘Small Business of the Year’ award winner.
With 14 different categories, there will also be awards for Northern Ireland’s leading small business exporter, most innovative and customer focused businesses.
Winners will be crowned at a gala awards evening on Thursday, 31st May in Belfast.
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A Lislea based steel fabrication company that has doubled it's workforce and trebled it's turnover in the past six months has won a contract worth at least £800K providing products to Holland and Great Britain.
BM Steel, established in 2004 has grown to become a leading provider of Component Parts and Bespoke Structures. The company is a major supplier to Cargotec Ireland and offers works in structural steel and corresponding architectural works and has recently completed projects in London and Scotland.
The contract is a joint venture with GB structural engineering firm, JB Towers, to supply the company’s products to DAEL Telecomm to service Holland and GB’s telecomm market.
Mike Mathers, Director of BM Steel said: “In the last six months we have doubled our workforce and almost trebled our turnover. This is due to our ambitious growth strategy and our focus on exporting to help our business grow.
“Exporting is literally transforming our business and we are very keen to expand further into the GB and Europe markets and grow our customer base globally.”
Mr Mathers continued “The support and training we have received from Invest NI has helped to increase our confidence in many areas from promoting and selling our products, to how to approach a meeting with a potential buyer”, added Mike.
The company has availed of a range of Invest NI trade support to help secure this new contract, most recently visiting the GB market where it met with a number of potential buyers.
Congratulating the company Alison Gowdy, Invest NI’s Director of Trade said: “Securing this major contract with one of Holland’s biggest players in the telecommunications industry, DAEL Telecomm, is not only a great result but will also open up more opportunities for the company. This experience has helped it develop the skills and confidence to make professional sales presentations and win new business.
“Supporting ambitious Northern Ireland businesses like BM Steel to identify new export markets, and then grow in those markets, is the main aim of the support we offer. BM Steel is a great example of a company which has seized the opportunity to build its business in global markets. We want to see more companies like this capitalise on their exporting potential.”
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A 122 acre farm at Tullyhappy close to the Armagh Newry road has sold for £1.9M via auction.
A packed auction room at Best Property Services last week witnessed the sale which had a total guide price of 1.275M
By the closing date last month, 13 bidders had expressed interest and bidding had reached £1.241M.
The 3 lots on offer were 26, 72 and 24 Acres (no residence) and by the end of the first round of bidding in lots, the total had reached £1.285m.
When then offered as one entire lot, 2 local business men and adjacent property owners swiftly took the bidding from £1.3 - £1.9m in 24 bids until the hammer fell.
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A major 25-year growth Masterplan has been produced by Warrenpoint Harbour Authority. The port ranks second in NI behind Belfast with 3.56M tonnes handled in 2017. On an all-island basis, Warrenpoint Port is ranked 5th behind Dublin, Belfast, Shannon-Foynes and Cork.
In 2017, the value of goods moving through Warrenpoint Harbour was £6.2 billion with £164 million of that direct international trade.
Clare Guinness, CEO, Warrenpoint Port spoke of the challenges of the timing of the Masterplan especially with Brexit looming.
“It has been prepared during a period of some uncertainty and is designed to prepare the Port and the surrounding area to deal with Brexit and other upcoming challenges.
“Working with our key stakeholders including Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, government agencies, Newry Chamber of Commerce and the local community, the Masterplan will help us further accelerate the growth of the Eastern economic corridor and beyond, whilst remaining acutely aware of our responsibilities as custodians of the marine environment.”
The plan forecasts a continued growth in trade following Brexit but also confronts the uncertainty around Brexits different scenarios.
The Masterplan document, which covers 2018-2043, aims to build on the port’s position as a major economic driver for the region.
The Port is a vital link in the supply chain for numerous businesses. It has the capability to handle a broad spectrum of goods including grain, timber, steel and cement and a full range of services including container and freight. Authorities at the Port, are anticipating a significant increase in trade over the coming decades with core roll on, roll off, freight expected to rise by up to 80% by 2040.
Key Priorities
The draft document outlines key objectives including upgrading transport links to the Port, improving Port capacity and facilities, maintaining and growing its customer base and developing improved linkages with Warrenpoint town.
It identifies several key priorities to achieve these including:
Delivery of the Southern Relief Road
Redevelopment of the Town Dock in Warrenpoint Town Square
Providing open public access to an expanded Marina.
Commenting on the publication of the draft Masterplan, Liam Hannaway, Chief Executive, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, said “Warrenpoint Port’s draft Masterplan provides a welcome overview into the medium and long term objectives of one of the most important employers in the Newry, Mourne and Down district.
“The Port is a huge part of the local economic success story and, as one of its key stakeholders, we look forward to taking part in the consultation into the plans.”
Paul Convery, President, Newry Chamber of Trade and Commerce also commented “As a key driver for economic prosperity, the region benefits greatly from having Warrenpoint Port on our doorstep.
“We are delighted to see the Port’s ambitions to grow further and share many of the aspirations included in the Masterplan including the prompt delivery of the Southern Relief Road.”
The Masterplan is available to view at www.warrenpointport.com while two Public Information days will be held at Town Dock House, The Square, Warrenpoint on 2nd and 3rd May. The consultation runs until Friday 18th May.
Check out a short video below
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