AIB has announced a five-year extension to their 27-year partnership with the GAA.
The extension covers the All-Ireland Club Championships of which, AIB have been title sponsor since the 1991/1992 campaign, the All-Ireland Football Championship, first sponsored in 2015, as well the AIB Camogie Club Championships, which AIB have been involved with for the last 5 years.
“We are proud to be backing both Club and County, and delighted to now enter our fourth year sponsoring the GAA All-Ireland Football Championship,” said AIB Chief Marketing Officer Tom Kinsella.
“Our involvement with the Club Championships for more than 27 years has given us a real understanding of the hard work at club level.”
“This hard work is what fuels the County Championship and the enjoyment that it provides to communities right around the country.”
“The importance of community is central to AIB and we reflect this in our commitment to GAA. AIB passionately believe we share a deep understanding of what GAA means to Ireland as a nation.”
“We wanted to portray the stories and dedication that GAA members show across the country and we did this through our productions such as The Toughest Trade, Behind The Gates with Roscommon and Jeff and Kammy’s Journey to Croker where we educated the duo on how Club truly fuels County.”
This year’s campaign will feature a retelling of the epic club All Ireland Semi Final of 1998 between Erin’s Isle of Dublin and Castlehaven of Cork The two sides are to meet again in another mini-documentary series to be screened through YouTube and distributed via AIB’s social media channels. The twist is that the teams of 20 years on will be managed by Gianluca Vialli and Harry Redknapp.
Read more about #TheToughest rivalry for 2018
AIB’s sponsorship of the Club Championships was re-vitalised in 2013 under the platform #TheToughest, in recognition of just how hard a competition it is to win.
The partnership also extended at that time to the All Ireland Camogie Club Championships.
#TheToughest has won a variety of national and international awards and in many ways brought sponsorship and the use of assets that it delivers to new heights in Ireland.
From Television to YouTube documentaries, imaginative and creative advertising and a genuine portrayal of the games at club level, it has been a winner throughout amongst fans as well as marketeers.
Read our interview with AIB’s Mark Doyle after last year’s campaign
The announcement of the extension was greeted by one of the largest media gatherings for an announcement of its kind at Croke Park yesterday and the ambassadors that were available for interview and which appear across the media this morning were all part of the AIB workforce.
From Kerry stars, Colm Cooper and James O’Donoghue to Mayo Manager Stephen Rochford, and Dublin and Galway players James McCarthy and Eoghan Kerin, all are of genuine interest in a sporting capacity and hold down genuine jobs within the AIB workforce.
Managing such a wide group of star players and many more involved in club and county has been carved out into a specific programme managed by former Dublin star Coman Goggins who himself joined the bank in 2002. We caught up with Goggins at the launch and you can read about his role in tomorrow’s Sport for Business.
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Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael, John Horan welcomed the announcement of the sponsorship saying “We are delighted to partner with AIB for a further 5 years across both Club and County.”
“As one of the GAA’s longest continuous sponsors, AIB have demonstrated real commitment and support for Gaelic Games. This has been enhanced by the significant promotion they have provided the GAA with through the activation of their sponsorship, even succeeding in bringing GAA to an international audience be it through the live streaming of Club Championship fixtures or introducing globally recognised figures to GAA.”
“We work really well with AIB, share an understanding of the importance of Gaelic Games to Irish community life and are delighted that they have committed to the GAA for a further 5 years.”
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Image Credit: Sam Barnes, Sportsfile
