Counties facing fight for sponsors

THE impact of the economic downturn on the GAA is to the fore again as Laois are on the lookout for a new sponsor.

The O’Moores were rocked on Monday by the withdrawal of long term sponsors The Heritage with county PRO Paschal McEvoy describing the development as “a massive blow”.

The five-year association had seen county board meetings and the annual awards night being held in the hotel, while Laois GAA Golf Classic has been held at The Heritage course in Killenard, which has hosted the Seve Trophy. It is the financial input that was most significant though given the spiralling costs of running teams at all levels.

“It’s a massive blow but we’re very grateful for what they have given us and we see where they’re coming from” said McEvoy. “It’s a tough time.

“We have no problems with them and as far as I know they have no problems with us and it’s just the climate we’re in right now.

“They had become synonymous with Laois GAA but these things happen.”

The executive will convene next week to discuss their options and how they plan to attract a new sponsor.

John Trainor is an expert in sponsorship consultancy and research with Onside Sponsorship and is well placed to analyse the current climate. He reveals that sponsorship activity continues to be quite strong on a global level, having not suffered to the same extent as traditional advertising in the recession. Insurance companies, the telecommunications sector and airlines continue to be involved in sponsorship, along with car manufactures and banks.

Examples included Aon’s deal with Manchester United, Aviva’s sponsorship of the redeveloped Lansdowne Road and Etihad’s association with the GAA hurling championship and interprovincial competitions.

The GAA is different though in that many sponsors were local businesses – many construction companies – that had prospered in the Celtic Tiger era and were looking to support their counties rather than gain from the partnership.

Certainly, more counties have been in the market for sponsors in the past 12 months than for some time.

Dublin have the largest support base and receive the most media coverage of any county in the GAA world and yet that wasn’t enough to keep Arnott’s on board.

The famous department store had enjoyed an 18-year relationship with the Sky Blues but the financial environment caused them to terminate their agreement in June while Monaghan and Roscommon also lost sponsors.

The GAA is seeking a title sponsor for the International Rules series after Coca-Cola’s announcement in January that it would be ending an involvement of 11 years.

At the time, the GAA’s head of marketing Dermot Power expressed confidence that a replacement would be found given the competition’s high profile.

“Getting a sponsor isn’t a problem” he said. “Getting the right sponsor, who will promote the series with us, is the difficult part,” he said.

“The international dimension that we have which is rare for us means that sponsorship will always be on our radar,” states the GAA’s communications manager Alan Milton. “There has been interest and talks have been going on. You just have got to be imaginative in these times and tailor your needs.”

This makes it a sponsor’s market and ensures that they will get better deals than ever before, says Trainor.

“What we’re seeing is that the valuation put on sponsorship is much more realistic now. There is practically no inflation and in some cases, deflation.

“You’ll also find that what is being agreed in terms of benefits to the sponsor is much more thoroughly looked it, and that the sponsorship is getting more rights than it used to. Those factors mean that rights holders have to rethink what they offering sponsors so that the package is even more attractive than it used to be.”