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.
Good sponsor and they appear to be well up for this, by promoting clubs, so fair play, but isn't 80k per season a bit low, it said this was the biggest ever sponsor, surely this only works out at 30-40k max for the winners, compared to LOI, I think a mid team or even relagated team might pick this up this season. I know last season we picked up 50k prize money for winning the First Div.
Is it really only 80k per season ?
Can any IL fans clarify ?
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
There is other income that the league gets eg TV money for Sky etc and this is bundled together to form the prize pot of £340,000 last season with the money going from 21k for last place to 50k for the winners. I don't think you can really equate the sponsorship your league attracts as it is a bit of an 'apple and pears' comparison.Originally Posted by oriel
Shouldn't that phrase be 'apples and oranges'?
Grapefruit and mangos if you ask me.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
oK fair enough, thanks for that , I still think the split is wrong, for a team to come last getting 21k v just double that for the winners ?
I`ve been to a few Newry games, I was shocked at the attenadances, Carling/IFA will have their work cut out promoting football in that Town !
All the best for the season to Clifftonville - ps was there ever any thought of you joining up with the LOI, that would be great, would make it a great geographical spread with Derry there also.
#DundalkFC - First Irish club to win an away game in Europe (1963), first Irish club to win points in a group stage in Europe (2016).
Why would Cliftonville join up with LOI?
For the obvious reasonsWhy would Cliftonville join up with LOI?
I'm a 23yr old right-handed heterosexual who drinks milk and likes democracy. - dcfcsteve knows me well
The same reasons as Linfield would.Why would Cliftonville join up with LOI?
What happened the JJB Sports Premiership anyway?
I'm a 23yr old right-handed heterosexual who drinks milk and likes democracy. - dcfcsteve knows me well
eh? Linfield wouldn't and there has never been any consideration of even attempting or wanting to join a league in a different country/jurisdictionThe same reasons as Linfield would.
The Hallion Battalion Molests football.:D
Linfield and Glentoran are semi-professional fish in an amateur pond. If they swam out of the pond they would be surrounded by massive professional fish, and somehow I don't think they'd like that.
I'm a 23yr old right-handed heterosexual who drinks milk and likes democracy. - dcfcsteve knows me well
Actually, LGC and GFC are a mix of part- and full-time (rather like I suspect the majority of LOI teams will be next season, btw).
The other IL teams are part-time, not amateur.
Recent Setanta Cups hardly support your thesis and Derry City haven't struggled too badly in the LOI, either, despite their traditionally never have been as "big" as either of the other two, when all three "swam" in the IL. And with all due respect, I would hesitate to call any LOI club "massive", piscatorially or otherwise.
Neither LFC or GFC is opposed to an AIL* in principle, as they have stated several times before now.
However, no-one has ever seriously proposed a format for such a league which has met their requirements/dispelled their objections.
Neither are any new such proposals on the horizon (that I can see, at any rate).
* - Rather different from leaving the IL to join the LOI, btw.
Last edited by EalingGreen; 23/07/2009 at 3:55 PM.
I was being flippant.
Oh and as for your statement, I would check your facts
As a full member it has never been discussed in any members meetings with the MC. So if you know better, please produce some evidenceI was being flippant.
Oh and as for your statement, I would check your facts
The Hallion Battalion Molests football.:D
Oh and as for your statement, I would check your factsWhether your MC discussed it at a members meeting is irrelevant. It was considered.
From a Linfield match programme...
From your Chairman"This all-Ireland knockout tournament has enjoyed some relative success and Linfield, with consistent performances and crowd appeal, have been the big draw over the past three years.
"Certainly, we have been the outstanding Northern Ireland team in the tournament.
"Linfield Football Club are quite happy to compete in an all- Ireland tournament which can operate on a limited timescale alongside our own domestic competitions, but we do not favour an all- Ireland league which would bypass the format, regulations and traditions of the Irish Football Association.
"The integrity of the Carnegie Irish Premier League in Northern Ireland and other competitions in this country are paramount, and Linfield will continue to advance our position in this jurisdiction, representing the IFA in Europe."
"At present it is not a level playing field for Irish League clubs. Linfield has no interest in participating in an All-Ireland League. Indeed, even competing in the Setanta Cup is not one of our priorities." - Jim Kerr
So basically it may have been bandied about in a meeting but its a resounding "no" to an All-Ireland League. So apart from Steve saying it hadn't been discussed in meetings he wasn't wrong.
Linfield Football Club - Hatchets & Hammers - You Can Only Envy Us
A Blue 52
Unless 'bandied about' has a new meaning has another meaning, then no, he was wrong.
(But of course we won't mention those 'quite' meetings in a hotel outside Dundalk either
To be a pedant, the majority of LOI teams are already the mixture you describe (and have been for some time btw). But I suppose you thought you had something smart to add there.
There's clearly in a gap in standard all the same. Despite reaching the final last time out, Glentoran have struggled. If I'm not mistaken, they did finish bottom of their group in the two previous years of the competition. Linfield is the only IL club that has been able to compete with the LOI clubs.
Re: Derry. It's a considerably long time since Derry was part of the IL. Bear that in mind.
Glentoran are/were a lot more open to the AIL proposals than Linfield. The relative financial strength of the clubs the main reason. Indeed I'd go as far as saying that it wasn't the individual clubs' requirements/ objections (Glentoran's to be exact) that were the stumbling blocks.
You might have stopped there.
I'm not quite sure what point you are making, but mine was that neither LFC or GFC is opposed to an AIL in principle, in the way they would be eg towards leaving the IL to join the LOI.
As for their different respective circumstances which might make the Glens more responsive than LFC, I think you'll find that the Glens' attitude towards any IL/LOI co-operation will have hardened considerably, following the LOI's carry-on over the venue for last years Setanta Cup Final.
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