DB Sports is delighted to be nominated in the Best Sports Business of the Year category at the 2026 Irish Sport Industry Awards, hosted by the Federation of Irish Sport.
Celebrating the power and impact of sport across Ireland, the awards will take place at the College Green Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday, May 19th. Now in its ninth year, the Irish Sport Industry Awards continue to recognise excellence across the sector, with 13 award categories shining a spotlight on innovation, collaboration, inclusivity, and sustainability. DB Sports is one of four nominees in the Best Sports Business of the Year category.
“We are very proud of this nomination in the Best Sports Business category at the 2026 Irish Sports Industry Awards,” said DB Sports founder and principal David Berber”
“Our multi-faceted business is built on one core value – to help every child and young adult, regardless of age or ability, fulfill their full football potential whilst experiencing what it is like to live and play as a professional footballer via our DB Sports Tours and DBS International Soccer Academy outlets. “
This nomination reflects the commitment, dedication and hard work of our staff, students and clients and I want to thank them all for making DB Sports what it is today, an ongoing success story in Irish sport.
“We are committed to developing young boys and girls as players and as people with a set of values that will stand to them through their personal and professional lives. We have many exciting plans for the future and look forward to helping to grow Irish football.”
DB Sports was founded by Dubliner Berber in 2010, when he left a career as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young to pursue his dream of helping every young player fulfill their full potential by touring some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
Now Ireland’s leading provider of football coaching programmes for young male and female players, DB Sports offers Irish and international players a unique opportunity to showcase their skills at home and abroad.
Subsidiary DB Sports Tours first brought Irish teams to Manchester United in 2011 and specialises in creating unique soccer experiences right across Europe, offering customised trips that combine competition, camaraderie and cultural immersion. Itineraries include professional training sessions, stadium tours, matches and tournaments against international teams and elite match day access in Spain, the UK, Portugal and Italy.
Via the DBS academy business founded in 2013, the DBS International Soccer Academy is proud to be the first football academy in Ireland to offer a full-time Transition Year programme to young Irish male and female footballers, headquartered at the Sport Ireland Campus in Abbotstown with a second TY course to open at the Cherry Orchard FC facility in the autumn.
Together with the International Player elite training programme, these TY courses are uniquely positioned to offer the perfect combination of expert football coaching and athletic lifestyle tuition in tandem with their educational needs.
Under the leadership of Sporting Director, former Ireland underage Head Coach Jason Donohue, and his team of UEFA qualified coaches, DB Sports will further enhance training programmes for coaches and club officials across 2026 and 2027.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
For info on the Awards: Visit Irishsport.ie
For more information please contact Cathal Dervan at 087-2432978 or by email: cathal@otsmedia.ie
