Bord Gáis Energy has been unveiled as a new official sponsor of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship for the next three years.
The sponsorship expands the energy company’s long-standing association with the GAA. It will also continue to sponsor the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling U-21 All-Ireland Championship and the Bord Gáis Energy Legends Tours at Croke Park.
The new sponsorship will allow Bord Gáis Energy to develop more GAA rewards for customers all over the country who are members of the Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Club. This will include direct access to tickets for all Senior Hurling Championship matches. It will also synchronise well with the GAA’s own GRMA Loyalty programme that will be coming on stream during 2017.
Sport for Business has sat down with Bord Gais Energy CEO Dave Kirwin to discuss this and other elements of the new deal and we will carry that interview for Sport for Business members on Monday Morning.
The Bord Gáis Energy Rewards Club was established in 2012 to reward customer loyalty currently has 246,000 members.
Read previous coverage of Bord Gáis Energy and the GAA
These customers can avail of a wide range of exclusive offers including pre-sale tickets and VIP experiences to the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, competitions and money saving incentives through a partnership with Tesco.
Current GAA rewards, which are offered around the U-21 Championship and Legends series, are amongst the most popular in the Rewards Club. Now Bord Gáis Energy can greatly expand that offering.
Further details will be announced ahead of the Senior Championship.
As part of the new sponsorship Bord Gáis Energy will also take on the role of Official Energy Partner to the GAA. In this role, Bord Gáis Energy will use its expertise in the energy sector to work alongside the GAA to improve the energy efficiency in Croke Park by incorporating new forms of sustainability and smart energy controls in the national stadium.
Read more about sustainability at Croke Park
They step in to replace Electric Ireland in that role but they will stay on as sponsors of the All Ireland Minor Football and Hurling Championships.
That in itself represents a great example of a multi sponsor model working for all parties.
A similar relationship was ‘worked out’ between Allianz and Liberty Insurance while they shared top billing as partners of the Association.
“At Bord Gáis Energy we really value our customers, and that was why the Rewards Club was originally established,” said Head of Retail at Bord Gáis Energy, Mark Prentice.
“It gives us the opportunity to stand out from our competitors by offering exclusive rewards and experiences to our gas and electricity customers. This encourages customer retention, and also attracts new customers.”
Read about the GAA’s GRMA Loyalty Programme
“Today’s announcement will allow us to expand our Rewards Club offering. Along with our sponsorship of the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre and the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards as well as our partnership with Tesco we now feel we have something to suit all customer tastes and interests right across the country.
“However, we will be respectful of hurling, the players and the GAA. We have developed a good understanding of the delicate balance that needs to be struck between commercialising and exploiting a sponsorship through our previous sponsorship experience. It’s something we will work with our partners in the GAA to ensure we are very mindful of.”
“We are delighted to welcome Bord Gáis Energy as top tier sponsors of the GAA,” said Commercial Director Peter McKenna.
“We have developed a great, and mutually beneficial, relationship with Bord Gáis Energy since they took over the sponsorship of the U-21 Championship in 2009, which was further strengthened when they became sponsors of the Legends Tour series in 2013. We now look forward to working with them at senior level.”
“They join a suite of top tier sponsors that is unrivalled in this country, and illustrates clearly the value placed in our national games by the Irish sponsorship industry.”
“It’s also great for the Association to have an Official Energy Partner with the expertise of the Bord Gáis Energy team. We are proud of the measures already taken at Croke Park to improve energy efficiency, and develop more sustainable energy approaches. We look forward to working with our new partner to take further steps to make even more improvements.”
“It’s only right that we at Croke Park should be setting an example in terms of best practice when it comes to the use of energy. We’ll work closely with the Bord Gáis Energy team to use new technologies and new methods to make even further improvements.”
Bord Gáis Energy will be announcing an exciting, expanded range of Rewards Club offers for customers ahead of the 2017 GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship.
