Tag: grassroots

Walter Walsh Launches New Digital Platform SocialTies

Today, SocialTies, a new free digital platform co-founded by three-time All-Ireland winner Walter Walsh, has officially launched. Built for community groups, such as schools, and grassroots organisations, SocialTies brings everything – from fixtures and results to ticketing, training resources, messaging, and exclusive content – into one unified, branded space. Designed around the real needs of today’s communities, the platform puts connection, identity, and community impact at its core.

Walter and his team have addressed a common frustration faced by organisations, relying on multiple disconnected tools to manage day-to-day communication and operations. Instead of navigating between group chats, outdated websites and scattered emails, SocialTies brings everything into one streamlined, purpose-built environment, finally offering a digital solution tailored to how real communities work.

“We built SocialTies because communities deserve better,” said Walter Walsh, CEO and Co-Founder of SocialTies, “For too long, they’ve been expected to make do with outdated websites, scattered group chats, and platforms that were never built for them. This isn’t about adding more noise, it’s about giving community groups, schools and grassroots organisations the digital infrastructure to connect, grow, and take ownership of their space online.”

Walter Walsh Launches New Digital Platform SocialTies – techbuzzireland

SocialTies is built on a new advertising model that delivers value to both communities and businesses. The platform is completely free to use both for individual users and the organisations themselves, with revenue generated through its Community Shared Advertising Model. Businesses gain targeted access to engaged, local audiences in a trusted environment, while 50% of all ad revenue is returned directly to the organisations and communities using the platform.

Brendan Kavanagh, Co-Founder of SocialTies, said: “Too many community platforms fail because they rely on goodwill, not good models. With SocialTies, we set out to create something that’s commercially robust and genuinely useful – it is a platform where local advertisers can reach engaged audiences in a meaningful way, while directly funding the communities they care about. It’s digital advertising that delivers real ROI.”

The first live platform built on SocialTies is Kilkenny Cats Social, created in partnership with Kilkenny GAA. As the pilot rollout, it demonstrates how the platform can be adapted to reflect the identity and structure of any organisation, in this case, one of Ireland’s most iconic sporting communities. Beyond content and communication, the partnership highlights SocialTie’s mission of community engagement at all levels – 50% of all advertising revenue generated on the app goes directly back to Kilkenny GAA, supporting grassroots development and major projects like the new Centre of Excellence.

Walsh, a former Kilkenny Senior hurler added “Kilkenny has given me so much, on and off the pitch, so launching our flagship product here means a huge amount to me. We built Kilkenny Cats Social to reflect everything this county stands for: pride, purpose, and community. I’m proud that we’re starting in Kilkenny, and even prouder that every tap, every ad, and every message on the platform gives something back to the place that shaped me.”

EA SPORTS FC FUTURES Doubles Grassroots Impact Year-on-Year, Opening Up Community Football Access to 500,000 People in Two Years

Electronic Arts Inc. has announced that EA SPORTS FC FUTURES has doubled its year-on-year impact, opening up access to grassroots football to over 340,000* people in year two. Building on the 170,000** in year one, it means the programme has increased access to the world’s game to over 500,000 people around the world in just two years since its inception.

Since launching in 2023, the initiative has continued to deliver on its commitment to grow community-level football worldwide and support real-world play, by refurbishing community pitches globally, delivering new free-to-access training practices inspired by EA SPORTS FC in-game drills, and working with partners to provide opportunities for all to play the beautiful game.

With a vision to make the sport more inclusive and accessible for players around the world, FC FUTURES empowers the next generation of football fans and coaches – providing training materials, as well as safe and inspiring spaces to play and thrive through real-world football experiences.

In its second year, FC FUTURES has:

  • Launched 11 new online practices, in partnership with UEFA, taking the FC FUTURES Academy library to a total of 17 free-to-access drills, designed to support coaches and players in daily training sessions. By using in-game drills to power these coaching tools, the Academy provides a unique and innovative way for coaches and young people to learn core football skills, encouraging participation and driving fandom in the next generation. Through our UEFA partnership, the Academy has now been integrated into 54 National Football Associations, with 500+ coaches trained on using the practices in the past 12 months.
  • Refurbished a further 8 community pitches worldwide – from the flood-impacted city of Valencia, Spain to Bañado Sur, Paraguay – in collaboration with league, confederation and charity partners, alongside FC FUTURES ambassadors – bringing the total to 19 pitches across 14 countries since launch. These pitches have been used by thousands of young people worldwide and have provided safe and accessible spaces to further their love of the game.
  • Deepened its global impact through multiple partnerships with organisations focused on driving positive youth development through sport. Year two saw continued collaboration with UNICEF, Merky FC, and Football Beyond Borders, as well as partnerships with some of the biggest names in football and entertainment to host numerous community training sessions and events, designed to inspire the next generation. From teaming up with LALIGA to open a new pitch in J Balvin’s hometown of Medellín to working with German football legend Lukas Podolski on a community refurbishment in Cologne, FC FUTURES is proving how far-reaching the power of play can be.

 “In just two years, FC FUTURES has demonstrated the powerful impact football can have beyond our EA SPORTS FC game, making a positive difference to hundreds of thousands of people,” said Andrea Hopelain, GM & SVP, Publishing, EA SPORTS. “We’re creating lifelong sports fans not only through our game, but by actively supporting and growing grassroots football around the world. By bringing together our digital game with real-world coaching expertise, we’re democratizing access to football training and reimagining coach education in a truly unique way, which is both impactful and incredibly relatable for the next generation.”

As FC FUTURES looks ahead to its third year – and an exciting year for football globally – the initiative will continue to engage and inspire future generations of footballers by launching new community pitches, expanding its free training library, collaborating with new partners, strengthening existing partnerships, and building on its ambition to grow football for all.

Beyond this, FC FUTURES will unlock new ways the game can further revolutionise coach education, through the creation of additional learning experiences, harnessing the power of interactive play and the merging of physical and digital football to inspire more young people into the sport.

Find out more on FC FUTURES and access the FC FUTURES Academy, the free digital library of training practices, here.