Ballygowan has been announced as the official water partner of Irish Rugby in a new four-year deal.
The partnership sees Ballygowan become one of the official partners of the IRFU, which includes: the Irish Senior Team; Irish Senior Women’s Team; Senior Men’s Sevens and Senior Women’s Sevens as well as becoming an official sponsor of the IRFU National Referee panel.
Commenting on the sponsorship agreement, Jessica Long, head of commercial, IRFU, said, “Irish Rugby is delighted to welcome Ballygowan as the official water partner of the IRFU.
"Keeping players’ fluids in balance is an integral part of achieving peak performance and we are delighted to be working with a home-grown Irish brand with a proven track-record in the Irish market."
Official Launch
Irish Senior Men’s players Mack Hansen, Gavin Coombes, and Jack Conan took a break from training to help launch the new partnership in Dunboyne Castle ahead of the Bank of Ireland Nations Series kicking off in November.
They were also joined by Senior Women’s Squad members Aoife Doyle, Enya Breen, and Dorothy Wall.
Kevin Donnelly, managing director, Britvic Ireland and Jessica Long, head of commercial, IRFU were also in attendance.
Optimal Water In-Take
Under the new agreement, Ballygowan noted that it will provide the IRFU with 40,000 litres of water each year to ensure players have the optimal water in-take to maintain a normal water balance during training and matches.
The average rugby player covers approximately seven kilometres during a match, and it is not unusual for a particularly active player to lose up to a kilo in weight through dehydration.
According to Emma Gardner, head of nutrition, IRFU the average rugby player can consume large volumes of water on training and match days to guarantee adequate pre-session fluid status, optimise performance, and replenish fluids they lose through sweat.
'Bottled Wild for Irish Rugby'
Ballygowan highlighted that it will support the new partnership with an integrated through the line campaign, entitled 'Bottled Wild for Irish Rugby', which will include a dedicated TVC, OOH, digital and social media support, PR, as well as in-store POS rolled out across key retail outlets nationwide.
Kevin Donnelly, managing director, Britvic Ireland, stated, “Ballygowan is Ireland’s number one bottled water brand and we are proud to partner with Irish Rugby at all levels.
"Ballygowan is bottled in Ireland, travels less miles than imported brands to get to Irish consumers, and our bottles are 100% recyclable and made from 100% recycled materials."
© 2022 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more A-brand news, click here. Click sign up to subscribe to Checkout.
