Renault Ireland unveiled
WICKLOW GAA treasurer Alan Smullen revealed that Renault are to be the new sponsors of the county footballers for the next three years. Delegates were informed of the sponsorship on Monday night but were also told that the company’s sponsorship of the Senior football championship has ended.
‘I’d like to confirm this evening that we have secured a new sponsor for our new Senior football team, and that new sponsor is Renault Ireland. I’d like to thank the guys at Renault for coming on board. The’ve taken the leap. It’s great support and a push for the work being done by John Evans and his management team. That deal is for three years. That obviously leaves a bit of a hole in terms of the sponsorship those guys were doing with us, but we are engaged with a number of people that are interested in taking on that sponsorship for 2019 and beyond.
‘I’d also like to confirm that Darcy Sands have agreed to continue their sponsorship for the Minor football and E Frontiers will continue their sponsorship for the under-16 football team.
‘That’s a fantastic push and a great positive end to the 2018 calendar year. We’re also not sitting up here clapping each other on the back because there are some big holes in our sponsorship numbers as we sit here today.
‘We also know that the Senior hurling team need a title sponsor. We’re engaged with a number of businesses in the county. Hopefully we’ll get that over the line, maybe not before Christmas, but definitely just shortly afterwards.
Smullen also brought the attention of delegates to the new Wicklow GAA club season ticket.
‘We’ve launched a club season ticket. It’s €100 for adults, €75 for OAPs. It gives you access to all club games from Minor to Senior including county finals for the year 2019.
‘I think you’ll agree that it’s good value for those of us who go to a lot of games no matter who’s playing. You can purchase those tickets from the office in Ballinakill.
‘The second thing I’d like to officially launch tonight, we are running a fundraising event in Punchestown in 2019. It’s been 10 years since Wicklow GAA held the last event in Punchestown. The event will happen on May 4, it’s a bit of a big step, I suppose, as a county. It’s been a while since we’ve done it. It’s probably going to be our biggest fundraiser for 2019. I’m delighted to confirm that WH Scott have come on board as the main sponsor for the event in May.
‘The tickets, a table of 10 is €1,500, and you can see what goes with that from the flier. We’ve got some great interest already, but I would be looking to everyone in the room for support from the clubs for this event. It’s going to be a cracking day. The area we’ve reserved in Punchestown is a fantastic space. It’s right between the final fence and the finishing post.
‘I’ll be in contact with all of the clubs over the next four to six weeks in terms of how we get the message out to all the club members and anybody who is interested in taking tables,’ he said.
Smullen encouraged everyone in the room to see the ‘fantastic positivity’ in the county at present.
‘I think that everyone in the room needs to sit back for three or four seconds and say, you know what, we’re moving in the right direction here. From the Gilroy report to the work being done on fixtures to Hugh’s work, everybody, there’s a really fantastic positive message out there. We really need to really, really hit it home, make 2019 our year in Wicklow GAA.
‘And I’m going to say it from the top table tonight, we really need to win something in 2019, that’s the last piece in the jigsaw,’ he said.