Irish Hockey has landed a major new sponsor with the announcement yesterday that professional services firm EY is to take up naming rights over the newly formed Irish Hockey League.
20 of Ireland’s top male and female clubs from across all four provinces will battle it out to become league champions over 19 weeks of consistent and promotable competition starting in September.
The club competition comes off the backdrop of recent international success, where both the men’s and women’s national sides have progressed through to the World Cup Semi-Finals in June – one step away from Olympic qualification for Rio 2016.
Seen as an integral part of Irish hockey’s Olympic and World Cup preparation cycle, the EY Irish Hockey League will provide an opportunity to further develop high performance players for the challenge of international hockey.
“Building the highest performing teams is core to our success in EY and, when it comes to leadership, teaming and developing winning strategies, there is a great deal to learn from professional sports people,” said Mike McKerr, Managing Partner of EY in Ireland.
“By supporting the highest performing teams in the sporting arena, as exemplified by the Irish Hockey League, we hope to expand on our own strategy to inspire effective and engaged teaming within our firm.”
The company will activate the partnership from each of its offices in Dublin, Belfast, Limerick, Waterford and Cork according to an EY spokesperson speaking with Sport for Business last night.
“Being in a position to support a sport that is gender balanced in terms of appeal and success was a real motivator for getting involved.”
At a global level Hockey is claimed to be the third largest sport in the world.
In Ireland it has 144,000 players in 260 schools and 165 clubs across the country.
The first match of the EY Irish Hockey League will take place in September 2015 and will culminate in a final in April 2016. On the Women’s side it will bring together teams from Dublin, Cork, Galway and across Ulster. The Men’s League will feature four teams from Dublin, five from Ulster and one, Cork Church of Ireland, that will be faced with the longest travel planning.
“We are delighted to have EY as the sponsor of the new EY Irish Hockey league, the most prestigious hockey competition in Ireland,” said Mike Heskin, CEO of the Irish Hockey Association.
“Irish hockey has great ambitions and this is the competition that will showcase our elite club players and provide an opportunity for hockey to shine the length and breadth of Ireland with top quality hockey on display throughout the year.”
Image Credit: Maxwell Photography
