In one of the most important sponsorship unveilings of the year Cricket Ireland has revealed Turkish Airlines as the new headline sponsor of the senior men’s international team. Initially for one year, the partnership ensures Turkish Airlines involvement with the Irish squad throughout the upcoming busy season with the option to extend for a further two years into 2020.
The detail of those discussions as to what the partnership might deliver and how it will be activated are well under way and the countries which Ireland will be playing against this year and on an extended basis if full test status is confirmed, perhaps as early as June 2017, are key markets for the Airline.
The importance and the credibility the partnership confers on Irish cricket cannot be overstated. Turkish Airlines is one of the world’s biggest commercial partners of sport, with the European Tour in Golf, UEFA in football, the European Superleague in Basketball and the European Champions’ Cup in Rugby.
This is the first step into cricket but it is one they are entering with real enthusiasm.
“Ireland of course is a very important destination for Turkish Airlines, as well as all others that we serve., said Hasan Mutlu, General Manager for the airline in Dublin.
“Turkish Airlines, the airline that flies to more countries than any other airline, this year celebrates its 10 years in Ireland and will continue this growing presence in the region with its commitment and support for Irish Sport.”
“Just like we as an airline, Cricket is a great connector among its fans around world, uniting them around a mutual passion for the game.”
“Today we see the sponsorship of the Irish Cricket Team as a very special one, one which we regard as an immense privilege, and we look forward to supporting the sport and the team to new heights.”
The team will wear their newly branded shirts in next week’s two prestigious one day internationals against England in Bristol and at Lords.
O’Neill’s rushed them into production as soon as the deal was signed and they are already for sale on the Cricket Ireland website.
The England games will be followed up next month by a tri nations series with New Zealand and Bangladesh, taking place at Malahide and Clontarf.
It was also announced yesterday that these games will be broadcast live on eir Sport.
In a neat rounding out of sporting numbers Turkish Airlines are the eleventh commercial partner to be associated with Cricket Ireland, alongside Hanley Energy and Clear Currency who announced deals in the past week, Toyota, Flogas and Ulster University among others.
“Cricket Ireland are delighted to welcome Turkish Airlines into the Irish Cricket family,” said CEO of Cricket Ireland Warren Deutrom. “With the opportunities afforded by the growth of cricket in Ireland and by what we hope are positive decisions around our status in the world game, there couldn’t be a better time for a brand the scale of Turkish Airlines to become part of our journey.
“We’re very grateful to Turkish Airlines for their support and look forward to working together with Mr. Hasan Mutlu, General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Dublin, and his team to achieve our shared objectives.
“This summer will see an unprecedented schedule of ODIs against major opposition, starting with our historic series against England at Bristol and Lord’s next week, followed swiftly by the Tri Nation series against New Zealand and Bangladesh.
“Facing teams of this calibre on a regular basis is is what we have been striving towards for the past 10 years and not only will these matches be great sporting occasions but I believe they reflect how far we have come in the sport in that period,” added Deutrom.
“We are also delighted to be partnering with eir Sport on the broadcast of our Tri Nation series which will allow us to bring the action not just to our fans in Ireland but to every major cricket market around the world.“
The positive sentiment was echoed by Cricket Ireland Commercial Director Dennis Cousins who said of the new sponsorship deal: “We’re exceptionally pleased to be announcing this partnership with Turkish Airlines with whom Cricket Ireland share a common global footprint and similar values.
“Turkish Airlines have established a strong presence in Ireland and their increasing number of routes also coincide with many of the international territories where the Cricket Ireland brand has grown over the last ten years,” added Cousins.
“This partnership represents a significant step forward for Cricket Ireland which will see us working with a customer-focussed, global brand, that has extensive experience in working with both high profile and large sports rights holders.
“With the marketing investment that will be provided by Turkish Airlines to Cricket Ireland, we’re confident that this will enable us to further raise the profile of Irish cricket at home and abroad and will support us with our ambition to make cricket mainstream in Ireland.”
