IT WAS an iconic moment in Irish sport in 2015 and Shane Long’s goal against world champions Germany at the Aviva Stadium has been voted the Most Memorable Irish Sporting Moment of the year in the annual PSG Sport and Sponsorship Sentiment Index (‘SSSI’).
The ‘SSSI’ is a 1,000-person nationally representative survey with quotas imposed on gender, region, age and social class. The research was carried out by PSG Sponsorship and Ignite Research and examines Irish people’s attitudes towards sport, their sporting heroes, levels of participation and the impact of sport on the Irish psyche.
After their sixth year of conducting such research, here's the six key points to come out of their findings from 2015:
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Shane Long’s goal against Germany is the Most Memorable Sporting Moment of 2015 (27%)
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Euro 2016 qualification is the Greatest Irish Sporting Achievement of the year (22%) with the Six Nations title second (21%)
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Paul O’Connell is voted Ireland’s Most Admired Sports Star (22%) ahead of Katie Taylor (20%) and Conor McGregor (8%)
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The Irish men’s rugby team take the title of Team of the Year (26%) just ahead of Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland soccer team (24%)
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Euro 2016 is the sporting event Irish people are most looking forward to next year (32%) with the 6 Nations second (18%), the Olympic & Paralympic Games third (17%) and GAA Championships fourth (13%)
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Soccer remains Ireland’s most popular sport in 2015 (21%), with rugby and Gaelic games tied for second (16%)
