The SSE Airtricity League First Division gets underway this weekend and today we take a look at the commercial partnerships which each of the ten clubs has going into the new season.
With LOITV covering every game in the division it has the potential to be in a brighter spotlight than ever before.
Cork City, Bray Wanderers, UCD and Shelbourne will all fancy their chances of a big season and Cabinteely have been knocking on the door of the top flight.
Fans may not be able to return until the second half of the season but a number of clubs are still progressing with season tickets of a kind that allows for access to the LOITV service and other benefits.
Here is our round-up of how the clubs in the divisiont have been active in the partnership scene ahead of the start of the season.
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ATHLONE TOWN
Principal Commercial Partner: Emerald Pitch Developments will be on the shirt front this season.
Other Commercial Partnerships: Individual player sponsorships are available on the club website at €100 but there is no sign of any other partnerships being credited.
Kit Supplier: Nike
Support for WatchLOI: All Season Ticket packages include full access to LOITV subscriptions.
Initiatives: The club is offering season tickets at half price for those fans who had bought a similar package in 2020. This comes in at €75 and includes all streaming on LOITV as well. The club is active enough on Facebook but the website is poor with no fixtures displayed at time of writing and little enough to encourage well-intentioned businesses to get involved. It’s hard running online updates on a voluntary basis but the club could do with some help in this area.
Twitter: @AthloneTownAFC 3,315 Followers
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BRAY WANDERERS
Principal Commercial Partner: Matt Britton Carpets are on the shirt front this season. Britton is a former player at the club and set up the business having left school at the age of 14.
Other Commercial Partnerships: O’Driscoll O’Neill Insurance, LifeStyle Sports, Hard Metal, Campus Oil, Frank Keane VW
Kit Supplier: Umbro
Support for WatchLOI: All Season Ticket packages include full access to LOITV subscriptions. Actively promoting on social media.
Initiatives: Season Tickets are being limited to 200 as things stand and will include priority access once fans are allowed to return. In advance, the club is offering free access to LOITV streaming. Pre-season prices were €140 and rose €20 on March 21st.
Twitter: @BrayWanderers 16.5K Followers
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CABINTEELY
Principal Commercial Partner: Edufit, a provider of app-based learning systems came on board last year in a three-year partnership.
Other Commercial Partnerships: Friends First, Sherry Fitzgerald, Windsor Motors, Royal Marine Hotel, Core Credit Union, Massey Bros and the SallyNoggin Inn
Kit Supplier: Nike in a new three-year partnership through Club Sport Ireland.
Support for WatchLOI: Subscription is being promoted on social media
Initiatives: Launching the new kit partnership has been the main focus in the past week. There are no details yet of any season ticket sales.
Twitter: @Cabinteely_FC 8,625 Followers
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COBH RAMBLERS
Principal Commercial Partner: A new partnership with Belvelly Castle was launched at the start of the year with an imaginative video that we carried on Sport for Business.
Other Commercial Partnerships: Corks 96FM, Spike Island, Doyle Shipping Group
Kit Supplier: Joma
Support for WatchLOI: All Season Ticket packages include full access to LOITV subscriptions. Actively promoting on social media.
Initiatives: The club is very active on social media with competitions, games, sponsor shout outs and previews of the teams they will be facing this season. Very much a Premier Division level of engagement. Season Tickets cost €120 and will include streaming. The back end of the system is provided by ClubForce.
Twitter: @CobhRamblersFC 12.2K Followers
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CORK CITY
Principal Commercial Partner: UCC is on the shirt front again this season with the Mardyke Arena as a second Premier Partner.
Other Commercial Partnerships: RedFM, The Echo, Johnson and Perrott, Bon Secours Hospital, Cork Airport, Carlsberg, Soho, EZ Living. Cork International Hotel, Blacknight, O’Dowd Solicitors, Cork Independent, BodyFuelz and others.
Kit Supplier: Adidas through a partnership with McKeever Sports
Support for WatchLOI: All Season Ticket packages include full access to LOITV subscriptions. Actively promoting on social media.
Initiatives: The Season Card for 2021 includes access to all live streaming of games, a new monthly draw, priority access to matches when that is possible and a digital subscription to the City Edition. The match programme is also available for home delivery on all games.
Twitter: @CorkCityFC 44.8K Followers
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GALWAY UNITED
Principal Commercial Partner: The Comer Group is the main commercial partner as it has been now for the past eight years.
Other Commercial Partnerships: TitanHQ, Kingfisher, Foras na Gaeilge, Sweeney Oil
Kit Supplier: O’Neills
Support for WatchLOI: Season Ticket holders will be given a free pass and access to streams of all games this season.
Initiatives: 2021 Season Ticket Holders can, for an extra €60, become a part-owner of the club as a member of the Galway United Friends Co-Op.
Twitter: @GalwayUnitedFC 15K Followers
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SHELBOURNE
Principal Commercial Partner: Hamptons Floor Store and FlyeFit will both be on the club shirt this season.
Other Commercial Partnerships: Brooklyn Flooring, Halpin Sports Management, Avonmore Protein Milk and others
Kit Supplier: Umbro
Support for WatchLOI: All Season Ticket packages include full access to LOITV subscriptions. Actively promoting on social media.
Initiatives: The club is creating exclusive media for members this season, diving into digital through Patreon, while real-life engagement is not yet possible. ’21 season ticket holders will also have their name embedded into next season’s away kit.
Twitter: @ShelsFC 17.3K Followers
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TREATY UNITED
Principal Commercial Partner: UPMC has come on board as sponsor of the Men’s senior team.
Other Commercial Partnerships: EI Electronics are on the shirt front of the Women’s National League team and other sponsors are being sought with the club only being formed ahead of this season.
Kit Supplier: Umbro
Support for WatchLOI: All Season Ticket packages include full access to LOITV subscriptions. Actively promoting on social media.
Initiatives: A monthly membership package gives priority access when spectators are allowed back, full access to streaming of all Men’s and Women’s games and exclusive media,
Twitter: @TreatyUnitedFC 4,175 Followers
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UCD
Principal Commercial Partner: O’Neills have been a long term partner and will be on the shirt front again in 2021
Other Commercial Partnerships: Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and MCD
Kit Supplier: O’Neills
Support for WatchLOI: Promotion on social media
Initiatives: A close association with students remains at the heart of UCD Soccer, and there have been a number of leadership and health initiatives that the club has been part of over the past number of months.
Twitter: @ucdafc 12.9K Followers
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WEXFORD YOUTHS
Principal Commercial Partner: Mick Wallace continues his support of the club and he is joined on the shirt front by Premier Tickets
Other Commercial Partnerships: Energia, Aztec design, MSS Building Services and others
Kit Supplier: Jako
Support for WatchLOI: Promoting on social media.
Initiatives: Energia’s innovative sponsorship of the Women’s team has been a highlight of the offseason and will be covered when we look at the Women’s National League in greater detail on Friday.
Twitter: @Wexford FC 10.5K Followers
Sport for Business Partners
