EY Ireland has announced this morning that it has agreed a new three-year partnership to become an official sponsor of the Hockey Ireland male and female National Teams at underage and Senior level for the next three years.
EY Ireland currently sponsors the male and female Division 1 and Division 2 Irish Hockey Leagues.
The new deal will make EY the only consolidated sponsor across underage categories and senior teams in the international hockey squads.
It adds to the existing long term partnership that Sport for Business member SoftCo has with the Senior Men’s and Women’s teams. Their deal was extended in April of this year to run at least until the end of 2024.
“Hockey Ireland has seen the benefit of our strong partnership with EY for a number of years across our All-Ireland domestic league, not least for the 2022/23 season, with new initiatives introduced and competitive levels within the EY Hockey League higher than ever,” said Hockey Ireland High Performance director Lisa Jacob.
“The extension of the partnership to now include all eight of our international squads, including our Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s teams as they look to qualify for Paris Olympics 2024, will bring significant impact.”
“Having one sponsor that goes right through the system adds huge value, allowing us to have an impact over a number of years in a strategic but also a very tangible way.”
“This commitment gives us capacity we haven’t had before, and brings EY with us on the journey to Paris and beyond.”
“The EY Hockey League continues to be a source of great pride for all of us at EY Ireland and today we are strengthening our partnership with Hockey Ireland as we support the game from grassroots through to international level,” added Frank O’Keeffe, Managing Partner, EY Ireland.
“In EY we are delighted to have this fantastic opportunity to continue to support the many incredibly talented players and coaches as well as the ever-growing number of wonderful hockey fans throughout this island.”
“We are also very committed to supporting these elite athletes to reach their full potential on and off the hockey field. EY Ireland is committed to helping to support and enable hockey players to thrive during and after their careers and intends to work closely with Hockey Ireland on identifying the best ways to support these elite athletes.”
“Given our reputation in EY for high-performing teams we think this new sponsorship with Hockey Ireland is a perfect fit.”
Sport for Business Perspective
This is a big win for Hockey, building on an existing partnership and creating a stronger partnership network linking the different strands of the sport.
It will need to manage the ‘lanes’ in which SoftCo and EY Ireland operate, while at the same time managing the relationships with other sponsors including Sport for Business members AIB and UCD, Park Developments, Uniphar and Saba.
