The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) are pleased to announce Sports Direct as the new title sponsor of both the Premiership and Women’s Premiership.
The exciting new three-year partnership marks a new dawn for NIFL as the biggest commercial deal in the history of the league.
The leading sports retailer has a proud heritage in football and Northern Ireland. Sports Direct Currently have 22 stores in Northern Ireland, with further investment planned for 2024.
Gerard Lawlor, NIFL Chief Executive said, “We are proud to announce this landmark partnership with Sports Direct as the new title sponsor for both our Men’s and Women's Premiership for the next three years.
“This is a huge step forward for the league as we grow commercially, and to bring a major brand like Sports Direct as a partner and sponsor is testament to the growth of our business in recent years and that they can see the ambition we have to keep pushing forward and want to be part of that journey.”
Leonard Brassel, Managing Director Sports Direct Ireland said, “This is an exciting time to be involved in football in Northern Ireland and we’re delighted to be partnering with NIFL to sponsor both Premiership leagues. NIFL is rich with history but also has so much to look forward to and we feel that it is the perfect fit for us.”
NIFL was founded in 2013 and currently represents the top-level football clubs in Northern Ireland, with over 350,000 fans in stadiums enjoying games each season in stadium and over 2.5 million tuning into games on TV through BBC Sport NI and Sky Sports.
The ground-breaking partnership will feature rewards for both clubs and their loyal supporters, accompanied by innovative new promotions that will raise awareness and take the leagues to unprecedented new levels.
First to kick off will be the new Sports Direct Women’s Premiership later this month in a huge season for female football under the NI Football League with the league expanded to ten teams, as the advent professional players will make the season mean more than ever.
The inaugural Sports Direct Premiership campaign for their male counterparts will commence in August 2023, as the twelve best teams across the country will compete for the prestigious Gibson Cup trophy, the most coveted prize in football for over 140 years.
