League in need of new sponsorship package

THE IRFU must find a new sponsor for the All Ireland League next season. The Insurance Corporation of Ireland has notified the union they will not be renewing their sponsorship at the end of the current season.

The IRFU is resigned to the fact that the sponsorship will not be continued. As a result, discussions with other commercial concerns are currently in progress.

There was speculation at the end of last season that the Insurance Corporation would not renew the sponsorship, but after discussions with the union the firm decided to stay involved for another year.

They have been associated with the league since the year after its inception in 1990-91. The sponsorship has accordingly been in place for six seasons. Now worth close to £200,000 for the season, the income from the sponsorship has come near the £1 million mark during their association with the league.

There has been a happy relationship between the union and the sponsors who deserve considerable credit for their contribution to the game and for the manner in which they supported the league from an early stage.

Getting a new sponsor for the league, a very high profile competition, should not present the IRFU with any major difficulty.

A new sponsor is certainly a must if the union is to continue to, offer the competing clubs the subsidy they currently pay. The union subsidises the clubs travelling and hotel expenses, based on a graduated system depending on the distance travelled. That allowance was increased this season.

In addition to that, every club in the league was given a special grant this season. This was given because the itinerary was changed to allow for the Interprovincial series and the European Cup and the tours by Western Samoa and Australia. The league did not start until December and, consequently, there was a loss of income in the clubs in the initial months of the season. The first division clubs were given £20,000 each, the second division clubs £15,000.

Neither the union or the company were prepared to make any comment yesterday on the termination of the sponsorship.