Ian Mallon: It's crunch time for Ireland's €212m sponsorship sector. Here's why.

The newest and fastest growing areas for opportunity, outside of the traditional sponsorship segments, come through sustainability and the environment, an area of strength for Munster Rugby, as reported in The Pitch in recent months.

TITLE SPONSOR: Ireland's Ronan Kelleher is presented with the Vodafone Summer Series Player of the Match Award in Summer 2021. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

THE Irish sports and entertainment sponsorship segment is set to grow by 8 per cent this year, bringing overall investment past €200m for the first time since before Covid.

Forecasters believe that the rate of growth will dip by one percentage point on 2022 (from 9%), as investors pour greater scrutiny over existing deals and future investments – with up 47 per cent of commercial rights buyers looking to exit current contracts.