Jolly hockey sticks: SoftCo scores big with sponsorship of women’s team

Irish software company took over sponsorship of the World Cup team in early June

Industry sources estimate the company stumped up €20,000 to have its name displayed on the team’s shirts
Industry sources estimate the company stumped up €20,000 to have its name displayed on the team’s shirts

It isn’t just the Irish women’s hockey team celebrating after their amazing World Cup performance.

SoftCo, an Irish software company that took over sponsorship of the team in early June, has easily recouped the money it put forward to help the team out. Industry sources estimate the company stumped up €20,000 to have its name displayed on the team’s shirts, a figure that jumps to €40,000 when performance bonuses are included.

This was a small price to pay given how many viewers tuned in to watch the team's games on RTÉ over the last week.

The women might not have finished first but it was a hugely successful run nonetheless.

“SoftCo has sponsored grassroots Irish women’s hockey for nearly 15 years and while we cannot comment on specific agreements, all of our partnerships are long term. We are thrilled to be working with such a fantastic group of people,” said Paul Tighe, the company’s head of corporate marketing

The sponsorship deal was certainly a good result for the company, which has been on an impressive run of its own of late.

SoftCo, which has developed a software platform that automates key processes such as invoice automation, last year won a $20 million (€17.2 million) deal with the Finnish government.

Overall, it has more than one million business users worldwide with big name clients such as Volkswagen, Primark/Penneys, PwC and Renault among them.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Listen to the Inside Business podcast for a look at business and economics from an Irish perspective

  • Sign up to the Business Today newsletter for the latest news and commentary in your inbox

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist