Ireland’s oldest bakery, Johnston Mooney & O’Brien have renewed their sponsorship deal with Cricket Ireland which will see the Irish-owned company continuing as official baked goods supplier to Irish Cricket for a further two years.
The company began their association with Irish cricket following Ireland’s epic 2011 World Cup win against England in Bangalore. Their catchy campaign featuring namesake players from the team ran the slogan, “England toasted by Johnston, Mooney and O’Brien!” The trio of players Trent Johnston, John Mooney and Kevin O’Brien featured prominently in securing the win, not least Kevin O’Brien who broke the World Cup record for the quickest century.
“Johnston, Mooney and O’Brien initially got involved because of the heroic efforts of the players against England,” said Cricket Ireland Head of Commercial Dennis Cousins.
“We are extremely pleased to have them stay on as sponsor past Trent Johnson’s retirement, highlighting a belief in the Cricket Ireland story and the growing number of fans and players alike.”
“It is great to have the support of an Irish company like Johnston Mooney & O’Brien, who share as rich a tradition and heritage in this country as Irish cricket.”
‘’We are delighted to renew our sponsorship support of Cricket Ireland for the next two years.” added Johnston, Mooney and O’Brien Managing Director John Rooney. “We wish them continued success at this year’s ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh and are excited about the build up to the 2015 World Cup In Australia and New Zealand.”
It’s a busy time for Ireland’s cricketers with the women recently in Qatar playing in an international tri-series with South Africa and Pakistan ahead of their first ever ICC World Twenty20 in March. The men are setting out on a month long tour of the West Indies, followed by the ICC World Twenty20, and 2015 sees Ireland play in their third consecutive World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The success on the pitch is matched by a growing list of partnerships with commercial organisations keen to tap into the rising prominence of cricket here.
Toyota, Abbey Travel and Tildenet all signed up or renewed contracts in 2013 while the year ended with Castleknock Country Club becoming the official accommodation supplier and Notts Sports also coming on board as official supplier of all weather surfaces.
RSA remains the primary sponsor of the sport having been on board throughout the rise of the national teams and the club and provincial sectors. They were a key player in last year’s success of the one day international against England which drew 10,000 fans to Malahide in North Dublin.
Lesson for Sport: Reaching out to official suppliers allows you to build partnerships that can grow and develop over time.
Lesson for Business: Highlighting a service or goods that you provide and offering it as in kind sponsorship can be a great way to start a relationship with sport that works for all your stakeholders.
