News

With a professional web presence being now considered almost mandatory for International and Olympic classes, the International Finn Association is delighted to announce the launch of its new website, just in time to focus on the 2010 Silver Cup (Junior World Championship) and Finn Gold Cup (World Championship) which starts in San Francisco in just over a month.

Designed and developed by the International Finn Association with technical assistance from David McCreary (Scuttlebutt Europe, WMRT webmaster etc) the new site is a massive step forward in functionality and content display, using the versatile and powerful Joomla! content management system.

Speaking about the new venture, class President Balazs Hajdu said, “Today the sailing community starts to realise that media appeal is not only about what you broadcast but also about how you broadcast. By making the coverage on Finn regattas and Finn life in general so comprehensive, continuous, available and ground breaking through the new Finn website, we bring a message that the Finn is not only a great Olympic class showing close, tactical, fair competition for fit, healthy and heavier elite sportsmen at the top of their game, but also that the sport of sailing is able to deliver the media requirements of the IOC and the broadcasters.”

“To promote sailing and make it more attractive and interesting to a greater number of people and nations is our common goal and responsibility, so the Finn Class is keen to play a significant role in showing the world how our sport works and what is that great in spending time on a sailing boat on the water.”

The website is part of a wider Finn Class media platform including social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Picasa, Issuu and YouTube as well as a free newsletter and press release subscription service. During the year this platform receives upwards of 500,000 page impressions from more than 35,000 ‘absolute unique visitors’. Traffic increases by threefold or fourfold during major events such as the European and World Championships.

Features of the new website include:

• RSS feed for news articles and race reports
• ‘LEARN’ section featuring coaching advice, technical articles and resources
• Free access to the class magazine FINNFARE online as a page turning eBook
• Instant translation to more than 50 languages using Google Translate plugin
• Finn Class Newsletter and Press Release sign up
• Full searchable archive of news articles and results
• Finnshop with Paypal shopping cart
• Archives of all results back to 1952
• Extensive photo and video galleries
• Access to full range of Finn class media platforms
• Range of advertising positions and opportunities throughout the website
• New integrated bulletin board for discussion and sailor interaction.

• as well as much more to follow over the coming months.

The new website will spearhead the Finn classes media and publicity programme over the next few years as it seeks out additional ways to innovate its already substantial media presence and brings Olympic Finn sailing to many thousands of enthusiasts and readers worldwide.