The All Ireland League for club Rugby gets underway this weekend but without a sponsor. The withdrawal of Ulster Bank after a long and positive association has left the tournament reverting to an #AIL hashtag and will be cause for further concern after mooted restructuring was pushed back earlier this year.
We saw earlier this week with the launch of the Heineken Cup in Dublin, the continued strong showing of the Guinness PRO14 and the continued strong support of Vodafone and other sponsors for the Irish national team, that rugby is an incredibly popular medium for sponsors but it can be patchy.
Four months out from the 6 Nations and no white smoke yet on a long-term sponsor for what should at first glance be one of the most popular sporting sponsorships in world sport.
RBS gave notice to quit its long-term deal two years ago but Nat West stepped in for just a one year deal last year and that same path may be followed again, with or without that particular brand for 2019.
There had been concern expressed in the Women’s Game that there was no sponsor for the Women’s All Ireland League but ending up without a sponsor for either is not the kind of equality that supporters were looking for.
Once the fundamentals of a sport are right it can sometimes be a question of timing, and of course, cost and value when it comes to a deal on sponsorship. Getting the right partner is better than a quick partner, but it is still a gap in the market that needs watching.
Image Credit: Morgan Treacy, Inpho.ie
