Eircom on board as Championship sponsors

Eircom has been announced as one of the new sponsors of the GAA's All Ireland Senior Football Championship.

The initial agreement, which commences with the 2011 Championship, is for a three-year period with an option to extend.

GAA President Christy Cooney welcomed the new arrangement and said it was an endorsement of the power of the GAA brand and the value that sponsors put on the association with both the GAA in general and the All-Ireland Championship in particular.

"It is another major boost, not only to the GAA Football Championship but to the association as a whole, that we are entering into an exciting partnership with a company possessing a profile and pedigree such as eircom's as the start of this year's competition comes into sharp focus," he said.

"Like us, eircom reaches into communities all over Ireland and we are enthused about the prospect of working with our new partners in an imaginative and proactive way as part of our ongoing efforts to generate even more interest in our games.

"I look forward to 2011 Football Championship and eircom's role in promoting what is Ireland's most eagerly followed sporting competition."

Eircom's Chief Commercial Officer Carolan Lennon believes that the partnership will have many benefits both for eircom and the GAA brand. She said that eircom saw the sponsorship as one with huge potential.

"For me, the All-Ireland Football Championship is the single biggest sponsorship in the Irish sporting calendar. What other sponsorship embraces every county, every town, every village and every community in Ireland? Everyone is interested in the outcome," she said.

"The Football Championship is the summer in Ireland. Embracing as it does the colour, vibrancy and passion of all that is good about sport and Irish sport in particular.

"Our challenge is to see how we can add to the occasion. It is as simple as that."

She said that helping eircom in delivering its GAA strategy and programme would be Mickey Harte, Colm Cooper, Ciaran Whelan, Donie Shine and Johnny Doyle.

Eircom will be announcing the details of its marketing campaign for the 2011 Football Championship over the coming weeks. Lennon said it would focus heavily on how eircom's technology can and will enrich the fans' enjoyment of the Championship.