Electric Ireland has announced a new partnership with the Camogie Association, which will see Electric Ireland support the game across grassroots, Higher Education and inter-county levels.
The three-year deal will see Electric Ireland become the title sponsor of the Electric Ireland Camogie All-Ireland Minor Championships and the Electric Ireland Camogie Third Level Championships, along with the Camogie Association’s Hurl With Me programme.
The new partnership extends Electric Ireland’s long-standing support of youth development in the GAA to Camogie for the first time.
Having supported the development of future inter-county GAA stars over the last 10 years, Electric Ireland will now extend its commitment to female players across the country, using its invaluable sponsorship experience to bring Camogie to a new audience and to help raise the profile of the sport, which already boasts over 100,000 registered players globally.
Having sponsored the GAA Minor Championships since 2012, and the Higher Education Championships since 2017, Electric Ireland has created award-winning campaigns, recognised at the European Sponsorship Awards, for the GAA Minor hurling and football championships and the Irish FA Women and Girls Football sponsorship in Northern Ireland.
Participation
A key part of the partnership is to extend beyond competition and encourage participation among young girls, through the Electric Ireland “Hurl With Me” initiative. This 4-week programme for 7 – 10-year-old girls; encourages parents and their daughters to get involved in Camogie and learn the basic skills through expert coaching and mentoring.
To support the announcement, Electric Ireland has teamed up with former Wexford Camogie player, Ursula Jacob, who played Minor for her county and Third Level Camogie with the Waterford Institute of Technology (now South East Technological University), before going on to excel as a senior inter-county player.
“I am excited to see how this added support will help to promote and evolve the game that I spent so much of my life playing,” she said.
“I also know just how important the added sponsorship of the Hurl With Me Programme will be in developing our youngest players, and in turn, the game. I have so many fantastic memories of playing Minor for my county and of my Third Level playing days in Waterford and look forward to seeing the positive impact the sponsorship will have on the teams and players across the country.”
Speaking at today’s announcement, Pat Fenlon, Executive Director of Electric Ireland, welcomed the new partnership with the Camogie Association.
“We, at Electric Ireland, look forward to working closely with the Camogie Association to bring these competitions to life and highlight the incredible talent of young Camogie players across Ireland.”
“The “Hurl With Me” programme is a key element of this partnership, getting hurls into the hands of 7 – 10-year-old girls. We want to create excitement and energy in the sport from a young age.”
“The Camogie Association is delighted to welcome Electric Ireland on board as a new partner,” said Camogie Association President Hilda Breslin.
“Through its sponsorships of corresponding GAA championships, we have seen Electric Ireland’s continued passion for supporting youth and the development of young players. It is exciting to now see this support extended to our young Camogie players.”
“Third Level and Minor Camogie are closely linked in the lasting impact the Championships have on our future Camogie stars and we look forward to watching as Electric Ireland shines a light on these players and the rich heritage of Camogie.”
Sport for Business Perspective:
The 2020 decision by the Camogie Association to work closely with the GAA Commercial team has already led to the major five-year partnership with Glen Dimplex in support of the All Ireland Senior, Intermediate and Junior Championships and now this deal with Electric Ireland is another very strong positive.
Electric Ireland have been ultra-consistent in focusing on the youth side of sport since departing the Olympic Federation of Ireland sponsorship after 2016. This is an excellent extension of that and gives another strong foothold in Women’s sport.
