Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund | RNN Communications

Our partnership with Kingspan spans many years, and many of its sectors. From bunded oil tanks, solar panels and rainwater harvesting solutions, to major activations at the Irish Ploughing Championship and creative collaborations with NCAD, we’ve worked closely with the Kingspan team to bring complex, technical innovation to life through smart, engaging comms.

So, when the team set out to support grassroots sport across Ireland, we worked together to develop and create the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund - from the concept and naming through to launch. Rooted in community, supporting talent and long-term impact, our role was to ensure the programme launched with real momentum, meaningful reach and lasting credibility.

The Brief

Looking to support grassroots athletes across Ireland, Kingspan launched the Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund, offering financial support to sporting individuals, clubs and teams.

The objective was clear: develop an overarching comms campaign that would not only launch the fund, promoting awareness and encouraging applications, but to raise the profile of funded athletes within their local communities, and to convey Kingspan’s commitment to local athletes across the island of Ireland.

The Solution

We developed and delivered an integrated PR and comms campaign designed to reach athletes where they live, train and compete, nationally and regionally.

High-profile launch: The fund was officially launched with Shane Lowry, followed by Johnny Sexton in its second year, supported by a national news release issued across Irish and Northern Irish media - including national, regional and sports titles.
Stakeholder & community outreach: We conducted targeted engagement with sporting bodies, clubs and organisations across Ireland, ensuring the message landed directly with those most likely to benefit. Over 60 sporting organisations were contacted as part of this outreach.
Search for Ireland’s athletes: Thousands of entries were received from across the country - a clear signal that the fund resonated with grassroots sport.
Content creation: Shane Lowry video content was edited and shared across Kingspan’s social channels, amplifying reach and adding authenticity to the campaign.
Social media support: Ongoing social media activity helped maintain momentum, including resharing athlete content and campaign milestones.
Celebration event: We brought together more than 50 Kickstart Sports recipients for the first event at the iconic Ikon Innovation Centre, featuring Q&A sessions with athletes including Seán Reffell.
Event management: From invitations and RSVPs to on-the-day coordination, photography, videography and client liaison, we handled all event organisation and delivery.
Regional Comms: Each funded athlete became a local story, supported by tailored regional press outreach, resulting in widespread coverage across towns, counties and communities.
Ongoing client comms: Continuous coordination with the Kingspan team ensured consistent messaging and long-term alignment as the fund evolved.

The Outcome

The Kingspan Kickstart Sports Fund launched with scale, credibility and real community impact - and it’s still delivering.

Campaign results included:

Campaign reach: 488,707 across print and online media
Social media reach: 90,500+ across Kingspan’s Sports Fund content, including Shane Lowry reshares
Media coverage: National, regional and sports coverage across Ireland
Community impact: Thousands of applications received and hundreds of athletes funded to date

Most importantly, the fund continues to run, supporting hundreds of athletes whose Kickstart funding has helped them train harder, compete further and chase their sporting ambitions.