Allianz and the GAA hosted a media day yesterday ahead of this weekend’s four Allianz Football League finals and spoke of the changes that have taken place in the competition over the 26 years of the partnership.

GAA President John Horan was on hand to welcome the sponsors and speak of the importance of the partnership represented in the room by the Association, the players, the sponsors and the media.

Sean McGrath is the CEO of Allianz Ireland and while Horan’s allegiance at the weekend will be with his native Dublin, McGrath’s attention will be focused as much on Saturday when Carlow take on Laois in the Division Four decider.

McGrath is a Carlow man, as is incoming GAA Director General Tom Ryan and with Carlow having landed the Allianz League Division 2A Hurling title at the weekend Horan quipped that next weekend’s winning lottery ticket was likely to be sold in the County as well.

“The Allianz Leagues have evolved enormously over the past couple of years, developing texture, colour and real excitement,” said Allianz Head of Sponsorship Damien O’Neill speaking to Sport for Business.

“Listening back to the breathless excitement of radio coverage on Sunday with so many outcomes still to be decided and going down right to the wire was fantastic.”

“Gaelic games have always meant a huge amount to Ireland and Irish people.  They provide a way for us to connect at an emotional level with our neighbours and our communities, and which is of such fundamental importance.”

We made the point that the excitement of the Allianz Leagues is now beyond that of elements of the All Ireland Championship later in the summer and questioned whether the concertina-ing of the tournaments into a shorter window had an impact.

“It’s very early to tell and many perspectives to look at it from but if anything there has been a greater intensity and excitement to this year.”

“I can remember the longevity of it running over two years, before and after Christmas but now there is so much happening over the two months, the intensity is now at such a high level.”

“Attendance and coverage this year have been very impressive and the idea that these tournaments could be tamed and contained has been blown apart by having so much interest from across the entire GAA community.”

The weather has created issues for the organisation of the Leagues but the fact that a number of Division Four games have been scrapped because they couldn’t impact on promotion and couldn’t be mutually agreed given county club commitments is compensated for by the fact that the Hurling Finals will now be put back to another week giving additional exposure for the players, the teams and the sponsor.

That is especially important given the fact that Sunday’s Allianz Football League Division One Final is going head to head with the Allianz sponsored Saracens playing Leinster at a sold out Aviva Stadium in the European Champions’ Cup Rugby quarter-final.

“Yes we will be welcoming our colleagues from England over for that game, though we have to be diplomatic in terms of who we want to win,” said O’Neill with a smile.

He, together with many more from Allianz in terms of staff, customers and brokers will be at Croke Park on Sunday, revelling in the excitement and recognising with satisfaction the way in which the sponsorship has delivered for the brand over more than a quarter of a decade.

Allianz support of Paralympics Ireland and the GAA’s Cumman na mBunscoil will feature as part of a special event and report we will host and publish in May around the concept of Sport for Social Good.  Contact us today if you would like to know more and perhaps get involved.

 

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Image credit: Seb Daly, Sportsfile