Galway GAA is celebrating something of a new beginning this week - one sponsor for both football and hurling, one jersey and one crest, and a revamped county board committee that involves every club in the county.
With the footballers preparing to begin their National League campaign, and the hurlers already involved in Walsh Cup action, the announcement that long-time hurling sponsor Supermac’s would take over both codes was timely.
Supermac’s, owned by Pat and Una McDonagh, have been involved with the hurlers for some 23 years, but this latest agreement for two years, with an option for five, is believed to be the longest and biggest in GAA history. To date, Supermac’s has invested more than €2 million in Galway hurling.
Pat McDonagh, in unveiling the new maroon and white strip to be worn by both teams, said Supermac’s had enjoyed a “strong and enduring relationship” with Galway hurling for the past 23 years, and now looked forward to building a similar relationship with Galway football.
The new deal will include sponsorship of Galway football and hurling across all age groups from under age through to minor, u-21 and senior, with Supermac’s subsidary Papa John’s Pizza featuring on the underage jerseys.
According to Galway GAA chairman Noel Treacy, the sponsorship is “graduated, progressive and incentivised”.
“There is a guaranteed baseline sponsorship for each year, along with built-in bonuses for winning provincial and All-Ireland finals for our senior teams and for winning All-Ireland finals for our respective minor and u-21 teams,” he said. “ This guarantees rewards for effort and success to all or our players, teams, managers and mentors alike.”
Treacy said negotiations began in early January as the organisation sought to utilise the Supermacs “brand” to establish a new “Brand Galway”.
“ There is no better way to achieve this than to partner with a powerful indigenous Galway company, whose brand is synomymous with quality, service and success, both in its core business and its external interests, including long term sports sponsorship,” he said.
“The new agreement is the largest and longest sports sponsorship in the history of Gaelic Games. It is decent and generous and confirms Supermac’s as the sole official and main sponsor of all County Galway GAA inter-county teams, at both adult and youth levels for a half a decade ahead.”
Mr Treacy said the announcement, - on Monday at Supermac’s in the Galway Shopping Centre - was made on an “historic day” for the GAA in County Galway.
“We have restructured our entire association at county level over the past few months. Tonight, our new revamped county committee holds its inaugural meeting, at which every affiliated GAA club in County Galway will collectively participate for the first time in our long history.”
