Sponsorship deal worth €4.65m to Dublin

GAELIC GAMES:TO THE list of franchises apparently immune to the recession – chippers, off-licences, hairdressers, etc – we can now add Dublin GAA. Details of the new six-year sponsorship deal with Vodafone have been unveiled, the basic package worth €4.65 million, rising to over €5 million if performance bonuses are maximised.

It’s easily the biggest county sponsorship deal in the history of the GAA – all for the right to stick a small red Vodafone logo on the front of the blue Dublin jersey.

All grades of Dublin GAA will benefit, football and hurling, and it’s the first time in 19 years that a new brand is being associated with the county. “Financially, this is an enhanced deal on what we had with Arnotts, and is the best shirt sponsorship available,” said Dublin chief executive John Costello.

“It’s a record sponsorship. And this does represent a tremendous deal for Dublin GAA, especially in the face of an economic downturn. I must also say there was significant interest, from various industries, including the drinks, the banking sectors, telecoms, etc. And they were all looking at long deals, in excess of five years.

“And the process was very smooth. From the market research, which we conducted, we were very conscious of the value of the Dublin sponsorship. Unprompted brand awareness was significant, and prompted awareness was in the region of 68 per cent. So we knew that the value of the Dublin sponsorship is as reflected in the deal we signed here today.”

Costello didn’t detail the performance bonuses, or when they would transpire, but inevitably they are based on Dublin winning a first football All-Ireland since 1995. “That’s commercially sensitive information,” he said, “but the various fringe benefits will bring the deal to over €5 million, over the duration of the contract.”

From both a Dublin and Vodafone point of view, the six-year term was seen as ideal, perhaps the minimal. “For any company coming in, looking at this sponsorship, it would take some time to develop brand awareness, because of the duration of the deal we had with Arnotts, which lasted 18 years,” added Costello.

“We have close to 60 coaching and games personnel employed with the various clubs around the county. These funds will help us continue with that work, and achieve our strategic aims and objectives, and also help contribute to the cost of running development squads in football and hurling, from juvenile through to adults. But we have to be careful as well we don’t eliminate the voluntary ethos of the Association, that has been the bedrock over the years. So I would not see the number of coaches rising above that current number.”

Vodafone already have a significant association with the GAA, namely as sponsors of the All Stars, and the football championship.

Charles Butterworth, chief executive of Vodafone Ireland, said that none of these existing sponsorship deals would be affected: “Nothing changes there,” he said. “In fact, only today we’ve also announced we’ve extended the All Star sponsorship for another year.

“Dublin GAA is the most supported sports brand in Ireland. When it came to deciding which brand we’d really love to be associated with, more deeply, the top of our list was Dublin GAA.”

Vodafone also announced a separate activation programme, with a “significant budget”, on top of the €4.65 million, for various promotions of their own surrounding Dublin GAA, over the six years of the deal. Given the very real and enduring economic downturn, Costello admitted the county had done very well, but they were also in a unique position compared to other counties, some of whom have yet to secure a sponsor for 2010.

“We’ve a population base here in Dublin of 1.5 million, so it’s not really comparing like with like. The Dublin county board have that unique place in the market. I do recognise the challenges that are there for other counties in sourcing sponsors.”

It does mean there will be a new design to the Dublin jersey for the second year in succession, given the Arnotts deal was originally set to run until 2010, and a new jersey was unveiled this time last year. But the new jersey, which the footballers will debut this Sunday in the O’Byrne Cup against Meath, and which will be available in shops the week before the first National Football League against Kerry on February 7th, will be standard for the next two years.

Dublin footballer Paul Griffin, who was recently reappointed team captain for another year, was delighted with the deal: “It’s great for Dublin GAA, football and hurling, right on down, because that’s what everything is built on, the underage structure,” he said.