New Sponsor for the Irish League
THE Irish Football Association (IFA) today unveiled Carling as the new sponsor of the top tier of domestic football in Northern Ireland.
The Carling Premiership, which kicks off on Saturday August 8, marks a significant investment for the beer brand in local football with a three year deal worth close to a quarter of a million pounds, the highest level of investment in the local league's history.
As well as a guaranteed £80,000 per year, Carling has also committed significant additional marketing support aimed at broadening interest in local football and boosting attendances at league games. Such support includes the introduction of a new website www.carlingpremiership.com where fans can check out news updates, results, match reports, fixtures and statistics. The new look site went live at 11.15am today.
Niall Phelan of Carling said he was looking forward to working with the IFA in the seasons ahead.
"Today marks an important milestone in the history of Carling's long standing association with football at all levels," said Phelan.
"As a brand, Carling is very passionate about the game so we're thrilled to have this opportunity to sponsor Northern Ireland's elite football division and work closely with the IFA, the clubs and, importantly, the fans to grow interest in the league and in local football as a whole.
"The Premiership is a fantastic league which mixes skill and excitement with guts and passion, but like all leagues, it would be nothing without the fans who cheer on their teams every week and support them through thick and thin," he continued.
"At Carling, we're football fans ourselves and it is our goal to be football fans' beer of choice when they goes for a pre-match pint or sit down to watch the game on TV. Our sales and market share have been growing consistently year on year in Northern Ireland, and we believe that this sponsorship will bring us closer to the fans and to the local game, which is exactly where we want to be.
"We look forward to an exciting new season and to working closely with the IFA to develop the Carling Premiership in the weeks, months and years ahead," concluded Phelan.
IFA president Raymond Kennedy welcomed the league's new sponsor.
"The announcement of a new title sponsor for the Premiership in Northern Ireland is an important event for the IFA," said Mr Kennedy. "This season we're particularly excited to welcome Carling on board, a brand with a fantastic football pedigree and one that has done so much for the sport at the highest level.
"We are confident that the brand will be more than just a title sponsor and we welcome their input and assistance in helping us to develop not only the Premiership but football in Northern Ireland.
"We'd like to wish all 12 teams the best of luck for the coming season and look forward to celebrating with the winners of the first Carling Premiership next May," he added.
Hugh Wade, vice chairman of the IFA Premiership Management Committee, acknowledged Carling's commitment to football in Northern Ireland.
"This sponsorship deal is great news for football in Northern Ireland and the investment is greatly appreciated by the 12 clubs involved" he said.
"We've seen the impact that Carling has had on the League Cup in England, which has enjoyed tremendous growth in terms of interest and prestige, and we look forward with anticipation that our partnership can have a similar impact at local level."
As part of today's announcement, the new Carling Premiership logo was unveiled, which will feature on all relevant promotional material and marketing campaigns, including 48 sheet billboards throughout Northern Ireland, bus shelter advertising, press and radio advertising, viral marketing, websites and monthly e-zines.
Sky Sports will once again feature five live Carling Premiership matches during the season, the first of which will be the Cliftonville v Linfield game on the evening of Monday September 21. The Premiership sponsorship is a major addition to Carling's existing high profile football links, which include the shirt sponsorship of Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers, as well as the Carling Cup in England, a competition that has enjoyed a massive resurgence in recent years.
