Michael Whelan, Head of Sponsorships for Diageo Ireland confirmed the sponsorship and said, “The new structures of the Celtic League and the new knock out cup have given the competition a tremendous boost. Our support is an indication of our belief that it will continue to grow as one of the premier rugby competitions in the northern hemisphere.”
The Celtic League has been a key competition in the development of the Irish provinces with
As part of the agreement, Guinness will also sponsor an Irish Player of the Month and Player of the Tournament Award. This will be decided by selected members of the Irish media and announced at the end of each month. Each monthly winner will then go forward to become the ‘Guinness Player of the Tournament’, to be announced following the League Final.
Keith Grainger, Celtic League Tournament Director, acknowledged that the capture of the Guinness brand on a Celtic contract was very important for the development of the Celtic Rugby, “I’m sure that the professionals in the sports sponsorship business will all understand what a great coup this is for us, there will be a few more companies and leading brands take notice of us now. To have the support of such a great company and brand such as Guinness is an indication of the growing stature of the competition”.
The Celtic league kicks off in
