AIG may be coming to terms with the main sponsorship asset in Ireland, Dublin GAA having been proved fallible at the weekend but the wheels of the sporting, and insurance worlds keep turning and they were down in Carton House yesterday to launch the next phase of a sponsorship that dates back to 1998.
The AIG Cups and Shields cover a number of club and amateur competitions that spread across all 32 counties of Ireland and have long been a staple of the AIG relationship with sport.
“We were building relationships with golfers even before AIG built a direct to consumer model here in Ireland,” said Sponsorship Manager John Gillick speaking to Sport for Business yesterday.
“In fact when we did that we built it on the processes and small team of people we had in place to manage the specific golf insurance business that we offered at that time.”
The golf sponsorship is as much now about driving general insurance products with a range of discounts targeted at Golf Union of Ireland and Irish Ladies Golf Union members.
There is also a good crossover with golf being seen as a popular second sport for players in other games. Dublin footballer Paul Flynn was at the launch yesterday alongside former Epsom Derby winning jockey and racehorse trainer Christy Roche.
Roche was a member of the Cill Dara team that won last year’s AIG Jimmy Bruen team competition.
The 2017 AIG Cups & Shields finals will take place from the 20th – 23rd September in Carton House for the men’s events and from the 27th – 30th of September in Malone Golf Club, Belfast for the women’s. Competitions are currently underway in clubs across Ireland to make it that far.
“We’re thrilled to be back at GUI National Headquarters again today to officially launch what’s sure to be another exciting year of the AIG Cups & Shields,” said AIG general Manager Declan O’Rourke.
“We’re delighted with the relationships we have built with both the GUI and ILGU over the years and hope that they have benefitted from our commitment to them.”
“Developing sport in Ireland is very important to us at AIG and our sponsorship of both competitions highlights this commitment.”
“The support of AIG is a vote of confidence to the development of women’s and girls’ golf at club, district and national level,” added Sinead Heraty Chief Executive of the ILGU.
“Golf clubs are the heart of our sport in Ireland and each year approximately 14,000 female golfers take part in the Cups and Shields at all levels. The AIG Ladies Cups and Shields are the most popular interclub competition and all clubs start the year with the ambition to win a District or National pennant.”
“AIG have been supporting amateur golf in Ireland for almost two decades,” concluded Pat Finn. “It was the 2nd February 1998 when they first got involved and were the first brand that we formally gave endorsement to.”
“We are delighted to have their continued support for the Cups and Shields and the Irish Close Championship, and to have them as partners on our golf card which is distributed to 230,000 of our golf club members across the island of Ireland.”
At the launch of the sponsorship in 2014 Shane Lowry was on hand to try and hit a post on the GAA pitch at Carton House. We are assured that this was a one take video…
