Soft drink row showing no signs of abating
Samples of the product have been given away free at most championship matches this year and will be again at this Sunday’s Ulster football final.
There are no plans to do likewise at the Munster football final in Killarney.
Croke Park is not happy with the practice, which has been branded as “ambush marketing”, while one Donegal official claimed it diverted funds away from local businessmen after the county’s Ulster championship match in Ballybofey last month.
However, C&C spokespeople pointed out yesterday that they had received legal permits to hand out free samples from local councils in each case and that it was standard practice in the soft drinks industry. C&C also pointed out that the company had used the same method to promote other products like Club Orange and Ballygowan and that no complaints had arisen from those instances.
“It’s just intriguing that there seems to be a problem with this particular brand,” said Dessie Farrell of Club Energise, which is still banned from all GAA grounds by Croke Park.
Farrell also pointed out that a number of county boards had previously received correspondence from Croke Park telling them to cease any commercial activity with Club Energise.
The “ban” on the product is currently one of the issues on the table in the round of discussions that are ongoing between the GPA and GAA but the players’ association is continuing to push its product regardless. In a bid to increase market share and promote the association between the sports drink and Gaelic games players nationwide, Club Energise have employed five inter-county players as brand ambassadors. The players have been appointed on an initial three-month contract as part of a pilot scheme in their respective counties and will work 20 hours per week on a part-time basis promoting the product in GAA clubs, shops and licensed premises.
