Allianz became the latest major brand to signify confidence in Irish sport with the announcement yesterday that they are extending their partnership with the GAA Allianz Leagues by another five years.
That will bring the relationship, over which time the Leagues have not only changed but been critical in developing football and hurling through to 28 years.
“When we became involved back in 1993 we were stepping into a world of tradition and heritage that was nerve wracking in many ways, ” said Allianz Head of Marketing Damien O’Neill speaking to Sport for Business yesterday.
“Royal Liver had been there for six years and that was an established relationship which we were having to make our own.”
“RTÉ’s Des Cahill asked me if I thought we might be around for as long and as a proud Kildare man I suggested we would certainly be here for so long as it took Kildare to win the League and the All Ireland.”
“I’m delighted that the partnership has grown so strong down the last two decades and more that even if the Lillywhites were to come good, that would only be the icing on the cake rather than a signal that our work was done.”
In addition to its sponsorship of the Allianz Leagues since 1993, Allianz has facilitated and enabled school children across all 32 counties to play Gaelic Games through its patronage of Allianz Cumann na mBunscol, the largest primary education sporting organisation in Ireland.
That relationship is also likely to continue as it is central to the Allianz belief around this sponsorship that it is helping to nurture the commitment to improve that the two tournaments represent at critical stages in teams and players development.
At the launch yesterday there was a sneak preview of the new Allianz TV advertisement which is a powerful expression of the brand statement that “The world belongs to those who dare.” We will bring you a final version of the advertisement before it goes live in the coming weeks.
Powerful video at @AllianzIreland League sponsor announcement. The world belongs to those who dare. pic.twitter.com/jY43p6VxZA
— Sport for Business (@SportforBusines) January 13, 2016
“Allianz now employs over 1,500 people in Ireland and after 126 years, it is almost as old as the GAA,” added Allianz CEO Brendan Murphy, a Wexford GAA fan himself.
“Heritage is as important to us as it is to the GAA and it’s one of the many reasons why the fit between Allianz and the GAA is so natural.”
“Like the GAA, we are very proud of our heritage but also recognise that to continue doing business in the years to come we also need to focus on a strong ‘Renewal Agenda’ where we must constantly evolve, change where necessary and renew ourselves if we are to meet our customer’s requirements and deliver on our promises to them.”
“It is difficult to over estimate the importance of our Allianz Leagues and the support of Allianz in bringing them to the widest audience possible,” continued Aogán Ó Fearghail, President of the GAA.
“The months of February, March and April represent the busiest period in the GAA inter-county calendar and the competitions provide all of our counties with something real and tangible to aspire to.”
“Our association with Allianz is a long one – one of the longest in Irish sport – and it has been mutually beneficial. I would like to acknowledge the unwavering support of Brendan Murphy and Damien O’Neill and their team for our games – games that reach every county in both codes – and we look forward to working with them into the future.”
This announcement at Croke Park was the first in what promises to be a busy series of announcements over the coming months.
Three of the headline partnership across the Football and Hurling Championships came to the end of their latest term when Kilkenny and Dublin lifted their respective titles in 2015 and it has been a busy time within the commercial team of the GAA.
The fact that Allianz has made such another long term commitment, and that this is one of a series of major sponsorship deals announced already in January, suggest that it will also have been a productive period.
