GAA keen to secure chief sponsors in any new deal

THE GAA is hopeful of being able to retain Bank of Ireland and Guinness as major sponsors when they begin negotiations in earnest on their new multi-sponsor model for the hurling and football championships from next year onwards.

“We have briefed them all along the way at all stages of our plans and they will be the first people we will be sitting down with when we get our package finalised,’’ said the Association’s Marketing Director Dermot Power yesterday.

He was speaking after the formal launch of the 2007 Championship in Croke Park, which will be the last to be sponsored (solely) by Bank of Ireland.

As President Nickey Brennan pointed out after the recent Congress, they will be following the lead of other sports in “bringing back the titles of the competitions under their own names”.

The first championship to be sponsored by the bank was in 1994, but previous to this they had been involved with the GAA as sponsors of the Allstars scheme, which they took over from Carrolls in 1979.

Power admitted that the multi-sponsor deal represents a major undertaking for them, explaining: “We have to communicate it to our own units, and as you would expect, we have communicated it to both Bank of Ireland and Guinness.

“It’s at a very early stage for us, because the whole pricing structure has to be put in place, as well as the package we can deliver. And, that is the big challenge for us, whether we can deliver around the country.

“One thing our sponsors have said to us is that we have to be absolutely sure we can deliver — that occasionally we have not delivered as well as we should have in the past.

“They made it clear that if there is going to be a number of sponsors involved competing for space, we must deliver to the letter of the agreement.’’

Key to delivering, he acknowledged, will be branding at all the major grounds, including Croke Park. With three or four partners involved, rather that one as has operated since 1994 (1995 in the case of Guinness), each one will need a guarantee of a return from their investment.

“That is where we are focusing our attention at the moment. We have to be absolutely sure we can deliver.’’

As a former Bank of Ireland man, Power agreed the sponsorship has been “very good” for them. Equally, they were great partners with the GAA.