The naming of the 23 man squad for the Euro 2012 Championships signals the start of the game for most of the major sponsors involved in the FAI and in the event itself.
Shay Given and Giovanni Trappattoni featured on the window display of the 3 store on Grafton Street yesterday afternoon while Carlsberg’s TV campaign for it’s facebook support of the team featured across all channels and is likely to continue throughout the build up.
The sponsor board behind Trappattoni as he made the announcement, including James McClean among the 23, was a veritable checkerboard with 3, Umbro, Carlsberg, Boylesports, Aviva, Lucozade, Ford, DHL and Tayto featured prominently.
The influence of social media in sport was much in evidence as the squad was announced, perhaps inadvertently, on Twitter a full five minutes before it was officially unveiled to the waiting media.  The micro blogging site was in full swing later in the evening as comments appeared about the Rocky Road to Dublin, a version of which is to be our national theme for the Championships, being used as background music to the drinking, gambling and fighting scene in Sherlock Holmes, the bank Holiday Movie on RTE TV.
Sport for Business will be tracking the activity and talking to the key players in the sponsor organisations behind the irish team over the next month as the event draws closer.  Ireland play Croatia, Spain and Italy in the group stage with each game kicking off at 7.45.
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Latest issue of Sport for Business Weekly (May 3rd to 9th, 2012)
The latest issue of Sport for Business Weekly (May 3rd to 9th 2012)

Sport as the cornerstone of the new broadcast and entertainment environment; Spar this week’s sponsor in focus; Keeping it Local for clubs and communities; Paralympics 2012 – Coming soon to a screen near you.
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