On the world’s biggest sporting stage, an Irish sportswear brand is proving it can compete with global giants.
The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) has extended its partnership with McKeever Sport for another eight years, a landmark agreement that will see the Portadown-based company kit out Team Ireland through the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Games.
For founder Padraic McKeever, the deal represents a validation of the company’s journey from small GAA beginnings to outfitting Olympic medalists.
At the launch of the partnership extension in Dublin this week, he took time out from setting up the stage to set the scene on where his journey has taken him and the company he founded.
Established in 2004 as an online GAA retailer, McKeever Sport spent its first decade selling teamwear from other brands alongside its own retail presence.
The fundamental shift occurred post-COVID, when the company made a significant investment in its own brand, acquiring an Irish manufacturing partner and bringing production in-house.
“We realised if we really wanted to push forward, we needed to back ourselves,” McKeever said. “Once we did that, our knowledge grew, our confidence grew, and so did the brand.”
That confidence carried into the Olympic partnership. Initially a distributor for Adidas products, McKeever supplied customisation and bespoke items to Team Ireland. Over the course of seven years, McKeever gear became an increasingly visible part of the athletes’ wardrobes, culminating in Paris 2024, where half of the kit was produced in Portadown.
“There were blind tests done with athletes, and our products came out on top,” he said. “Even more importantly, we were able to provide the bespoke elements like the women’s fit rugby kit, where the big brands couldn’t. Those details matter at the highest level.”
Building the Team Ireland Brand
Paris also marked the first time Team Ireland merchandise was sold at a Games retail shop, as well as through Sports Direct, airport outlets and online.
The response revealed a huge untapped market, particularly among the Irish diaspora. “Most of our Paris customers were Americans of Irish descent,” McKeever noted. “That tells us LA will be massive.”
Plans are already in motion for a more ambitious retail campaign in Los Angeles, with ranges launching from Christmas 2027 and a bigger presence at the Irish House. “It’s about making Team Ireland a year-round brand, like Team GB or Team USA,” he added.
Managing Rapid Growth
Such expansion has brought its own challenges. McKeever Sport has recorded 30% year-on-year growth for two consecutive years, a pace that is stretching its capacity.
The company employs 85 people in Ireland and expects to add another 20 across manufacturing, sales, and marketing. Its new facility in Portadown is already too small three months after opening.
Unlike global giants, McKeever cannot simply acquire factories overnight; instead, it blends Irish manufacturing with offshore partners in Portugal, Poland, India, and China, as the need arises.
“Having production at home gives us speed and flexibility,” McKeever explained. “That matters when a GAA club needs jerseys for a final next weekend, or when Olympic athletes need kit turned around quickly.”
The Armagh Effect
GAA remains central to McKeever’s story. The company holds contracts with around 300 clubs, and the impact of Armagh’s All-Ireland win in the same year as the Paris 24 Olympics was “transformational.”
“Once they got over the line, demand just exploded,” McKeever recalled. “Sales doubled almost overnight. It gave us authenticity — if our kit delivered on the biggest stage, then other counties started to look at us differently.”
Looking Ahead
Balancing grassroots loyalty with Olympic ambition, McKeever sees the eight-year OFI extension as both a business foundation and a statement of intent. “For us as an Irish brand to supply Team Ireland over the next eight years really just puts us on a different level,” he said. “It gives our staff confidence, it shows partners the trust in us, and most importantly it gives Irish athletes kit that’s designed for them.”
From volunteer-driven GAA clubs to the global stage of the Olympic Games, McKeever Sport’s journey has been powered by goodwill, bold investment, and belief in Irish manufacturing. With Team Ireland now wearing its brand through to 2032, that journey is only gathering pace.
Image Credit: OFI and James Crombie, Inpho.ie
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