Sponsors are normally very neutral when it comes to the teams that are competing in the tournaments that they are associated with. And of course that is the way it always is. But every now and again they can be forgiven just a little cheer one way or the other.
Lidl have been an exceptional partner of Ladies Gaelic Football over the past six years and they signed up again in 2022 for another four as sponsor of the National Leagues and official retail partner.
The relationship between them, the sport and TG4 as sponsors of the All Ireland Championship is a model of how sponsors can co-exist and they will be a visible presence at Croke Park on Sunday for the three Finals at Junior, Intermediate and Senior.
Meath’s win last year is hailed as a breakthrough that has given hope to many others and the fact they are back facing novel opposition, at least of late, in Kerry is testament to the impact they had.
The Lidl team will naturally cheer for the best team on the day to win but if that happened to be Kerry there may be a surreptitious punching of the air.
For within the Kerry ranks is Cáit Lynch who works in the CSR team with responsibility for responsible sourcing. She is pictured above in relation to a project on removing plastics from the ocean through buying only product that can be vouched as sustainably produced.
She will leave that behind on Sunday when the focus will be on reducing the threat of Méabh’s star forwards Emma Duggan and Vicki Wall.
If she can bring the Brendan Martin cup home to Castleisland and then into Lidl Head Office in Tallaght, she is guaranteed a welcome to remember.
