Advertising Agency: You See Players. We See People.

Hurling, one of Ireland’s native Gaelic games, draws as many as 82K fans and millions through worldwide TV audiences. These are unpaid athletes who play and commit up to 30 hours a week for the love of the game. They are notable role models throughout Irish communities and beyond, offering a cultural connection to the Irish diaspora across the globe. Once the game is over, they leave the pitch to return to their normal lives as mothers, fathers, and full-time jobs as teachers, engineers and doctors, etc.
 
That’s where the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) comes in… supporting the more than 2,100 players with programs covering all aspects of their off-field including; education scholarships, career mentoring, business start-up programs, counseling, addiction treatment, medical care and more.
 
The GPA partnered with independent agency Connelly Partners, which has offices in Boston and Dublin, to launch a new campaign called “You see Players; We See People” Campaign. The goal is to raise awareness of the GPA and build buzz as hurling returns to Boston’s famous Fenway Park with a four-team tournament in November. And the tournament provides an opportunity to elevate consciousness of the games, reach a new market, and gives audiences an opportunity to learn more about these incredible athletes who play for the love of country, sport and community.

The work showcases the GPA through interviews with the below past and present GPA and WGPA Players and content from GPA games, particularly the 2018 All-Ireland Final Hurling Final.

The campaign also showcases Connelly Partners’ chops globally, coming off of the agency’s recent expansion into Dublin earlier this year. It also brings to life the agency’s ethos as “defiantly human” in support of shining a light on the hurlers as real people, not just players. At a point when it seems the world is focusing on the things that make humans different, Connelly Partners is focusing on places where we can all find common ground. Both Connelly Partners’ and the GPA’s passionate love of sport and competition, and our desire to see all people taken care of, in this case, the medical, emotional and professional development of the amateurs who sacrifice so much for their love of sport. To care and to cheer are both quintessentially Defiantly Human.