Croke Park, Tuesday 6th December 2016: Ireland’s leading online department store, Littlewoods Ireland was today unveiled as a new top tier partner of both the Camogie Association along with the Gaelic Athletic Association.
The fashion, electrical and homewares retailer has signed a three-year deal with the GAA which sees them become both the Camogie National League and the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship sponsor until 2019. Littlewoods Ireland is best known for its fashion credentials, with a host of high-street brands along with its own label ‘V by Very’ which launched in September 2016.
Its first act as sponsor has been to sign up two Gaelic Games style ambassadors in Cork’s Anna Geary and the newly retired nine-time All-Ireland winner Jackie Tyrell from Kilkenny. The pair have already taken part in a V by Very Winter GAA Shoot at Lough Dan in County Wicklow which was unveiled at today’s launch in Croke Park. Both Geary and Tyrell are keen fashionistas and their new role will allow them to combine their love for both style and sport as they enter their retirements from their playing careers.
The shoot, produced by Ireland’s leading stylist Courtney Smith and shot by fashion photographer Alex Hutchinson, was a new experience for the Gaelic Games stars and the images along with a behind the scenes video and blogs from the shoot can be seen on https://blog.littlewoodsireland.ie/.Waterford’s Austin Gleeson was also on hand at the launch in Croke Park as the double-hurler of the year was unveiled as part of the Littlewoods Ireland GAA team for 2017.
Littlewoods Ireland has won a number of national and international marketing awards this year and plan to bring their expertise to bear as part of an innovative sponsorship campaign with a strong digital focus.
With over 70,000 products from more than 1,300 brands, LittlewoodsIreland.ie receives an average of 2.5 million visits each month and MD, Geoff Scully explains“We are delighted to be announcing our new partnership with both the GAA and the Camogie Association today. This is a very exciting time for Littlewoods Ireland, we have experienced consistent growth in recent years as a result of placing the customer at the centre of our business. We have used technology to revolutionise our business to become a fully online department store offering free delivery and returns and we have received international awards for our innovation in e-commerce.” He added; “We feel it is an opportune time to begin a partnership with the GAA. This is a new space for us and will allow us to engage with communities throughout the country through the Hurling Championship, Camogie National League and also the GO Games children’s events in Croke Park which we will be sponsoring. We plan on bringing our love of style and innovation to this partnership and believe it is a great fit for all involved.”
Uachtarán Chumann Lúthchleas Gael Aogán Ó Fearghail commented: “I am pleased to welcome Littlewoods Ireland as new partners of the GAA Hurling Championship and I look forward to the support they will offer us in the promotion of the games in the months and indeed years ahead. This partnership will help us reach into new areas as we continually look at new ways of bringing our games to new audiences and supporters. I laud the fact that the arrangement also covers the activities and games of the Camogie Association which strikes me as a particularly good fit covering the wide spectrum of the GAA family given the area of expertise of Littlewoods Ireland. I look forward to a long and mutually beneficially partnership.”
Speaking at the launch, President of the Camogie Association, Catherine Neary said: “We are delighted to partner with Littlewoods Ireland as the new sponsors of the National League. The popularity of Camogie continues to grow and it is an exciting prospect for us to be associated with Ireland’s leading online department store, a company that is synonymous with innovation, fashion and style. This marks the first occasion that the National League has had a title sponsor and the Camogie Association is delighted that this national competition will receive a greater profile as a result of this partnership. I am very much looking forward to the start of the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues in February and it promises to be another exciting year of top quality intercounty Camogie.”
