Paul Mladjenovic - FEATURE: Working internationally with a double rebrand

Rebrands have become quite common in modern football, and it's a hugely important experience to have under the belt. I spent over a year working with the Football Association of Ireland, as Marketing Executive for the League Of Ireland. This included many various tasks, but one of the most exciting tasks I was involved with, was helping launch the rebrand of the League Of Ireland. Along with assisting with National Team rebrand roll out.

LEAGUE OF IRELAND REBRAND

The League Of Ireland Season launch in City Hall, Dublin. - 8th February 2023 - Photo by Sportsfile and Graphic by League Of Ireland.

The League Of Ireland rebranded ahead of the 2023 season, with a fresh and vibrant colour scheme, thanks to the crew at LBA. As part of my role as Marketing Executive at the FAI, I was tasked with overseeing the launch and implementation of the new brand. This included, providing feedback on provisional pieces, creating new content and and planning the roll out.

The League Of Ireland Launch in 2023, with players from all three divisions of the League Of Ireland pictured. - Photo by Sportsfile

One of the first events we did to raise awareness was the League Launch in Dublin. Here we captured content of every team, in collaboration with our league photography partners Sportsfile. This included prior site visits, event planning and creation of content schedules.

Galway United Captain, Conor McCormack pictured at the 2023 League Of Ireland Launch. Photo by Sportsfile

A huge part of the League Of Ireland Launch was ensuring that the brand was front and centre at every opportunity. Ensuring that we had a mix of content designed in house and in collaboration with external providers. So we could have all of our physical branding in place for the big day. Check out a quick behind the scenes video I made back in 2023, showcasing some pieces from the day.

A behind the scenes video I created at the League Of Ireland Launch in 2023

INTERNATIONAL TEAM REBRAND

The League of Ireland wasn’t the only Irish footballing entity to rebrand ahead of 2023. The Football Association of Ireland and the Republic of Ireland national team also followed suit, working with LBA in a similar process. Although this was technically outside my remit as League of Ireland Executive, I attended team meetings, provided feedback, and gained valuable insights into the project.

A comparison of The Republic of Ireland national team crest before and after the rebrand.

Along with this, I also had a small role on the matchday events team at the time, providing additional help in the Aviva Stadium for national team games. This included contributing to stadium graphics via the LED scoreboards or LED pitchside advertising. Contributing to the in stadium playlist, helping some coordinate events within the VIP bowl.

Kylian Mbappe of the France National team, with LOITV LED Advertising pictured overhead. Photo by Sportsfile.

Evan Ferguson celebrates his goal in a friendly against Latvia at the Aviva Stadium in 2023. The first game that Ireland donned the newly rebranded kit. Photo by Sportsfile