Lidl has announced plans for the second year of their partnership with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.
2016 was the first major step into sponsorship in the brand’s 17 year history in Ireland and the success of the partnership was evident in the enthusiasm around the retailers headquarters building in Tallaght yesterday.
The #SeriousSupport campaign last year saw the retailer pledge to invest over €1.5 million in Ladies Gaelic Football in year one and that major commitment, far and away the largest ever in Irish Women’s sport is being repeated for year two.
Take a look back at last year’s launch
#SeriousSupport was the title of last year’s campaign and that is here to stay,” said Lidl Sponsorship Manager Jennifer Gleeson speaking to Sport for Business.
“It was good for the business in that it made a meaningful difference within the sport and the communities in which it is played.”
“This year is about deepening that engagement further and bringing it even closer to communities through going local at each of our stores.”
“It’s all about grassroots and community. That’s where the sport and our support grows from.”
Read our interview with Lidl Head of Social Media Aoife Clarke
“In a visual way we are expressing that through having eight different counties represented in our advertising for this year and in each of those having a senior inter county player pictured alongside a club and secondary schools player.”
“This was based on insight we gained last year that players under the top level were putting in just as much effort, working just as hard and deserving of strong support.”
“Those more local ads will feature now and the will be the ones you see in your own county, making it local, making it matter more within Dublin, Cork, Mayo, Kerry and around the country.”
It is a campaign which will echo that of Guinness when they came aboard as the first sponsor of the All Ireland Hurling Championship in the 1990’s and used similar ‘local heroes’ in the key counties.
“Last year we gave out 146 kits to schools from local stores across the country, with a retail value of €250,000 and we will be rolling out that aspect of the campaign as well.”
“In addition we gave €170,000 to clubs so that they could invest themselves in what was most important to them.”
Read our Weekly Column on Women’s Sport – This Boy Can…
There is a permanent ladies football stand in each store, billboards will start to be seen around the country from this weekend and we will be following through across the whole season.
The 2017 Lidl National Football Leagues have the potential to be the most keenly contested in recent years with intense competition across all 4 Divisions.
Players from across those likely to compete including Sarah Rowe from Mayo, pictured above, and who represented Ireland at soccer before switching to gaelic football were present for a Q and A session in front of local schools and club players yesterday.
“2016 was a great year for the sport of Ladies Gaelic Football as we achieved some great milestones,” said Ladies Gaelic Football Association President Marie Hickey.
“Our partnership with Lidl has had immediate benefits both on and off the field and their investment on our game has been most welcome.”
“We are all looking forward to another great year and it all starts next Sunday. I hope that the supporters of the sport will join us on the terraces throughout the country this Sunday where we can help deliver on Lidl’s promise that ‘Serious Starts Here’.”
“Year one of our partnership with the LGFA was a resounding success,” added Lidl Managing Director John Paul Scally. “The feedback we have received from our own team as well as our customers has been nothing short of remarkable.”
“With almost 150 stores, we are a part of communities all over Ireland. For this reason we are very well placed to ensure that our support reaches the very heart of the organisation, in clubs and schools right across the country.”
“Last year we committed to a huge investment of both finances and time in this partnership and 2017 will be no different. I said last year that as a brand, we identified strongly with the LGFA’s ambition and drive and I’m delighted that this partnership has struck a chord, not only with the associations’ supporters, but also with the general Irish public. At Lidl we are extremely proud to continue to be the biggest supporter of women’s sport in Ireland.”
