Hoops dreaming of sponsorship dividend
Shamrock Rovers could capitalise significantly on new sponsorship deals ahead of their first-ever Europa League group stage games.
The Hoops made history after becoming the first Irish club to reach the group stages of a European competition when they beat Partizan Belgrade last Thursday night.
That victory alone will guarantee the Tallaght club €1 million – half of their annual turnover. But new sponsorship deals could net them hundreds of thousands in revenue.
Last Friday, the League of Ireland side were drawn to play Tottenham Hotspur on December 15, a glamour tie that will generate much publicity when the London side visits Dublin.
John Trainor, managing director of Onside Sponsorship, a prominent sponsorship and marketing agency, said the team’s historic achievement would provide a good opportunity for them to find new sponsors alongside their main sponsor, Woodie’s DIY.
‘‘They could target sub sponsors in categories the are not already sponsored in, such as an official transport provider," he said.
‘‘There is a precedent here already with Connacht Rugby [who qualified for the Heineken Cup for the first time last May]. They managed to secure a new title sponsor when Mazda came on board."
Trainor said that Spurs had separate sponsors for the Europa League and the Premier League, which could be explored by Rovers. He added that revenue from season ticket sales could also jump dramatically.
‘‘Connacht’s season ticket sales had been around the 300 mark in recent years, but they are now up to 3,000. There could also be a case where Airtricity [who sponsor the League of Ireland] would want to deepen their relationship with Irish soccer and get further on board," said Trainor.
‘‘The car sector sponsorship is also quite active now. I can’t see Rovers securing a seven-figure deal in the next five weeks, [when European games begin], but this has put them front and centre in the sponsorship market for 2012 and 2013."
Date - 26/08/2011 Sunday Business Post by Nicola Cooke
