This year's Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Camogie Championship has received a huge boost with confirmation that both senior semi-finals, as well as the All-Ireland Finals, will be broadcast live on RTÉ One television.

The exciting news was revealed by the Camogie Association at the launch in Croke Park today, with Liberty Insurance adding to the excitement by announcing that it will run an innovative summer campaign - 'Squad Goals' - designed to find Ireland's most skilful Camogie squad.

Both 2016 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Finals will be broadcast live from Kilkenny's Nowlan Park on the afternoon of Saturday, August 13th where the four teams at the sharp end of the Championship will be vying for a place in this year's All-Ireland Final at Croke Park on Sunday, September 11th.

Camogie's growing appeal

Launching this year's Championship, Camogie Association President Catherine Neary said that live TV coverage of the semi-finals for the first time underlined the growing appeal of Camogie on the national stage.

"Camogie is one of the fastest-growing games in the country right now, with more people watching and playing than ever before," said Ms Neary. "Live coverage of the semi-finals is not only a huge additional carrot for the quarter-finalists but an extra opportunity for TV viewers to enjoy the thrilling spectacle of top-level Camogie.

"We expect that the additional investment by the Association and Liberty Insurance in TV coverage, in conjunction with RTE, will continue to raise the profile of this year's Championship and further showcase the skills of the game and the dedication of our players" Ms Neary added. "We're also lucky and extremely grateful to have Liberty Insurance partnering with us again this year, helping to promote women's sport with some fantastic ideas to boost attendances and participation."

Liberty Insurance launches 'Squad Goals'

One such initiative was also announced at today's event, where Liberty Insurance revealed details of its nationwide 'Squad Goals' campaign which will give two Camogie teams the opportunity to play at half-time in Croke Park on the occasion of the Senior All-Ireland Final in September.

Speaking at the launch, Deirdre Ashe, Director of Personal Lines for Liberty Insurance, said: "We're delighted to be continue with this year's #supporthersport campaign which was so successful last year. Our research has confirmed that female participation in sport is strongly influenced by attending sporting events at a young age so we're again encouraging parents and the wider public to bring their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, cousins or friends to this year's Camogie Championships.

We're excited too about this year's Squad Goals Challenge that will inspire Camogie teams and players throughout the country to get involved, with the opportunity to step onto Croke Park on All-Ireland Finals Day and win funding for their clubs adding to the campaign's appeal. Details will be available on our social media channels from the June 20th and remember to #supporthersport!".

'Our Game, Your Game' profiles our elite athletes

Also at today's launch, the Camogie Association premiered its 2016 'Our Game, Your Game' video with further details of the campaign's development over the coming months.

"The focus for this year's campaign is on the off the pitch preparation side to the game," said Catherine Neary. "We're working with five high-profile Camogie ambassadors who explain what it takes to reach the top level and how a strong and healthy body and mind help players to achieve their full potential."

The Camogie Association also confirmed that it and the LGFA have reached a reciprocal agreement to avoid major fixture clashes in this year's Championship, including avoidance of a previously recurring clash between the All-Ireland Camogie Championship and the Ladies Football Munster Final, as well as the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final and Ladies Football All-Ireland Quarter-Final.

The 2016 Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Camogie Championships sees reigning champions, Cork, in search of a three-in-a-row title and their 27th title overall which would move them to the top of the Roll of Honour.

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