The All Ireland Football Final on Sunday is the hottest ticket in Irish sport. In the build up to the big day we have been taking a look at how each of the three main sponsors of this years Championship have activated their involvement across the summer.
Today we complete the series with Ulster Bank who have been involved in the Championship since 2008 but is this year likely to bring to an end its involvement with the tournament.
Ulster Bank originally came on board as one of the first group of three sponsors under the multi brand format that has proven such a winner for the Association.
They shared top billing back in 2008 with Toyota and Vodafone, both of whom were replaced after three years by Supervalu and Eircom. Prior to Ulster Bank’s involvement at that stage, Bank of Ireland had been the sole previous title sponsor of the Football Championship.
Ulster Bank have made the Championship work well over the six years and it is hoped they will retain a strong bond with the GAA in the same way as Guinness did when stepping down as title sponsor of the Hurling Championship but retaining official partner status.
One of the most successful initiatives has been GAA Force where clubs from across the country were invited to submit proposals for how they might improve the facilities within their local community with a cash bursary from the Bank.
The same idea was applied in Rugby as part of parent company RBS’ sponsorship of the Six Nations and both have delivered real value to the grassroots on which the base of sport in Ireland is maintained and nurtured.
Last years top prize of €25,000 went to Erins Own of Waterford. The club won out over an entry of more than 500 clubs, representing 20% of the entire GAA membership and the money has been put to use in creating new changing rooms and a ball wall for the club.
“Erin’s Own has survived for 88 years and we have always made the best of our resources over the years,” said Phelim Dowling, club secretary after winning the award. “We are proud of our achievements and development work to date however winning Ulster Bank GAA Force will permit us to provide the modern facilities that may otherwise be beyond our reach. Everyone here at the club is extremely grateful for this support and we look forward to this exciting new time for us.”
Entries for the third round of the award close at midnight tonight (Friday 20th September). There will once more be a top prize of €25,000 as well as four regional grants of €5,000 and as many as 200 smaller grants of €100 to help bring new work to life in the next twelve months.
Join 40 Leaders from Irish Sport and Business at Ulster Bank HQ on Tuesday, October 8th at Sport for Business 20/20, showcasing the best opportunities in Irish Sports Sponsorship. Click here to learn more.
Staff from Ulster Bank are encouraged to help out in their clubs over the GAA Force weekend which will take place after the announcement of the award winners.
Staff have featured prominently in other areas of the GAA activation as well. Star players like Karl Lacey, Sean Og O’Hailpín, Darren O’Sullivan and Kieran Donaghy have been to the fore in promoting the brand within the sport.
There has also been a huge interest internally in a football competition among branches and staff which culminated in two teams lining out for the final at Croke Park. 4,000 members of staff played, at varying levels of ability, in what was a great way to bring the benefit of the sponsorship home to a workforce battered by the banking crisis.
The activation of the sponsorship has not been without fun as well. Martin Trench, a Mayo fan living in Listowel will be present at Croke Park this weekend after winning the award as Ulster Bank GAA fan of the year.
He shot to prominence in July when painting ‘Mayo for Sam’ on Alpe d’Huez in the Tour de France and having the pictures beamed around the world. He is well known around Kerry as well as this short video shows.
Ulster Bank have, like others, placed community at the heart of their programme of sponsorship. It works for a bank which, despite recent closures still maintains over 120 branches in cities, towns and villages around the country.
It is hoped that if the brand does step away from the title sponsorship that it will retain some association at national level and that wherever the monies are diverted to that sport will continue to play a major role as it has down the years.
The next Sport for Business Round Tables will be on the world of Sports and Business Analytics, and on Philanthropy in Sport. Contact us today if you would like an invitation.
Day One: Supervalu and Community
Day Two: Eircom and Experience More
Friday: Ulster Bank and getting local
Click below for details of the Sport for Business Events Programme
Sports Sponsorship Showcase
Sports Analytics Round Table
Sports Tourism Seminar
Irish Sponsorship Awards
Sports Philanthropy Round Table
Youth Sports Conference
