Irish-produced sports drink Energise Sport and Ballygowan Mineral Water, both owned by Britvic Ireland, have announced a four-year deal to become the official hydration partner of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).
Details
The deal will see Energise Sport and Ballygowan supporting both the Ireland men's and women's national teams, with the men's national team kicking off their UEFA European Championship 2024 Qualifiers and the Women's national team getting set to play in this summer's FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Ireland men's national team players Jamie McGrath and Jason Knight took a break from training to help launch the new partnership in the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown.
As part of this partnership deal, Energise will ensure the Ireland national team players are supplied with the optimal balance of water, carbohydrates, and electrolytes to hydrate faster for training and match endurance.
Ballygowan will be supporting the partnership with 190,000 bottles of Ballygowan water each year to ensure players have the optimal water intake to maintain a normal water balance during training and matches. All bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic, and are 100% recyclable.
Ireland fans will spot this new partnership over the next few years with Energise's "Energise your Everything" campaign, which gears up in the coming months through core advertising, digital and social media activations, PR, and retailer execution.
Statements
Kevin Donnelly, managing director of Britvic Ireland, described FAI as a superb partner for Britvic Ireland, and said, "We are proud to collaborate with the FAI and to support our national soccer teams, men and women, with Energise and Ballygowan, trusted quality brands made in Ireland, delivering hydration and energy in fully recyclable packaging."
Commenting on the partnership agreement, FAI chief executive officer Jonathan Hill said, "We are delighted to partner with Britvic Ireland across the Energise Sport and Ballygowan brands at what is an exciting time for Irish football. Britvic have a strong reputation as a renowned stable across soft drinks in Ireland and will help to keep our national team players hydrated and in peak condition as they take on some big games across both men's and women's football."
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