Electric Ireland has extended its commitment to football in Northern Ireland by becoming the title sponsor of the Northern Ireland Senior Women’s international team.
Electric Ireland’s support now also covers title sponsor to the Northern Ireland youth international teams as well as the elite pathway for the female game.
In addition the company is lead sponsor for women’s and girls’ grassroots football and competitions like the Electric Ireland Women’s Challenge Cup and Schools’ Cup as well as the Shooting Stars initiative which encourages girls aged four to seven to play football.
The firms sponsorship of the Game Changer programme which saw a 25 per cent increase in participation between 2017 and 2018 won this year’s European Sponsorship Award for Best Overall Sponsorship.
The support which they are putting behind football in Northern ireland was praised yetserday by Manchester United Women’s team manager Casey Stoner who travelled to Belfast for the announcement.
She backed the integrated approach like that being taken in Northern Ireland as vital towards helping women’s football continue to make strides on the global stage.
“The women’s game is now in a fantastic place globally,” she told us. “The growth of the game in Northern Ireland comes from the dedication of those involved from grassroots right up to the highest level.”
“Only with a complete and integrated approach to women’s football will we see it continue to make the significant strides it has in recent years and it’s fantastic to see the comprehensive structures now in place to see that hope become a reality.”
In Northern Ireland participation rates have grown exponentially over the last few years with 10,000 girls and women now playing football every week. That figure has risen by 25% over the last two years alone according to statistics collated by the Irish FA and Electric Ireland.
“Adding the Northern Ireland senior women’s team to our partnership with the Irish FA is a significant milestone for women’s football in Northern Ireland and completes a game-changing player pathway that starts at age four and is now supported at every level,” added Clare McAllister, Northern Ireland residential Manager with Electric Ireland.
“We’re extremely excited about the movement that is being built locally to transform the women’s game and we are incredibly proud to be an integral partner of that.”
“We have made significant steps in recent years to get the women’s game here to a place where it is competitive on an international stage,” said David Martin, President of the Irish Football Association.
“The benefit of having a sponsor willing to commit to a broad range of support across women’s football in Northern Ireland cannot be underestimated and we will continue to work with Electric Ireland to grow the game further in the years to come.”
Read More: Anne Smyth from Electric Ireland was one of the speakers at our 2019 Sport for Social Good event, in partnership with Allianz and Ulster University which took place as part of the celebrations around the 148th Open Championship.
Read More: Electric Ireland Wins Best in Europe
