Competition in the market for producing GAA kit is hotting up with newcomers McKeever Sportswear seeing their brand worn for the first time in Championship action this weekend as the Cork Ladies Football team won the opening game of their title defence against Waterford.
The Armagh-based company only secured their license from the Ladies Football Association in recent weeks but the Supervalu sponsored kits had been in production ready to go as soon as the ink dried on the documents.
McKeever is the kit manufacturing wing of theGAAstore.com, one of the brands that have made significant inroads to the teamwear supply business across Ireland in recent times. Tea,wear based in Dublin in another to have challenged the once seemingly impregnable dominance of O’Neill’s.
As part of the new deal, all of the Cork women’s off filed gear and leisurewear will be supplied by Adidas, a first involvement in ladies football for the German sportswear giant.
“We have worked closely with the Cork players and administrators over recent weeks to come up the best possible designs and products to help their title push,” said Padraic McKeever, managing director of thegaastore.com.
“We may be newcomers in terms of being an official kit supplier, but we are by no means content to be a small player in this market.”
“We needed a flagship team to display our product, and they don’t get any bigger than this wonderful Cork outfit.”
“We hope that this is the start of a very successful partnership, and one which will help Cork achieve even further glory.”
While Dublin GAA, who launched their new kit last week as well, have a single kit and AIG sponsorship deal covering all four GAA codes, Cork has Chill Insurance and O’Neill’s covering the senior mens side and different deals for the Ladies Football and Camogie squads.
