As the Irish Rugby team prepare for their opening game of this year’s Guinness Six Nations against Wales on Sunday, so too are supporters across the nation with 78 per cent of Irish adults holding some level of interest in sport, and 51 per cent saying that they are very or quite interested in rugby.

The figures come from Talent Reframed, a study carried out by sponsorship consultants ONSIDE for sports marketing agency, Line Up Sports.

A fanbase of over 1.755 million Irish adults, mixed up with the inability to do much else other than tune in and watch the action unfold suggests this edition of the Guinness Six Nations could be the most-watched of recent years.

There is also a relative balance when it comes to gender split, with 61 per cent of total males claiming an interest in the sport and 42 per cent of females.

In addition to looking at the Irish sports landscape as a whole, Talent Reframed also considered the popularity of some Ireland’s top sportsmen and women as individuals, analysing their levels of familiarity, admiration, trust and influence amongst the Irish population.

Athletes

Line Up Sports manages some of Ireland’s highest-profile athletes, including rugby stars Conor Murray, James Ryan, Tadhg Furlong and Rob Kearney.

55 per cent of Irish adults agree that using sports personalities as brand ambassadors provides a better way for companies to promote themselves rather than straight product advertising.

Half of those questioned from among the general population immediately recognised both Rob Kearney and Conor Murray.

They continue to attract top-level partnerships with leading brands that have identified the value in engaging with brand ambassadors and recognise the level of trust and influence that they have earned over the course of their playing careers.

“As the main professional sport in Ireland, rugby continues to generate a huge demand for consumption across all available platforms,” said David McHugh, Founder of Line Up Sports.

“It’s not surprising to see those with the longest and most decorated on-field careers scoring highly, but what is particularly interesting to note is how our next generation of athletes’ profiles are growing so rapidly as they are now much more accessible through social and digital platforms.”

Brand Fit

“Sponsorship is all about getting the right brand fit, and on-field performance continues to play a huge role in the commercial opportunities for athletes. Our Talent Reframed study with ONSIDE has had an invaluable impact on our business and how we strategically approach our work with our commercial partners.”

“The report has given us a deep dive into each of our athletes, providing us with both a means of measurement and an understanding of their levels of recognisability, trust, influence and admiration. This enables us to prepare a much more robust case for brand fit and value and highlight the unique opportunities that each our individual athletes hold, going beyond just on-field performance,” according to McHugh.

The research comes after a year like no other, where the sponsorship industry took an unprecedented hit from the global pandemic. However, ONSIDE’s recent Irish Sponsorship Industry Outlook Report 2021 provided some hope for a better year ahead confirming that investment in Ireland is up 13 per cent over the past five years and 2021 is set to show a return to growth of 7 per cent.

On top of this, Irish adults are very receptive to brands that engage in partnerships with sports personalities. Over a third of Irish adults would choose one brand over another if price was taken out of the equation and if it was endorsed by a sports personality that they liked, creating a huge opportunity for brands to cut through the noise and set themselves apart.

Sport for Business Partners