Sligo GAA & AbbVie unveil new 2016 Jersey

Back 26/01/2016 @ 13:19 | mainnews | Sligo GAA & AbbVie unveil new 2016 Jersey

Sligo GAA and AbbVie Unveil New 2016 County Strip at Sponsorship Official Launch


Partnership forms part of the ongoing commitment of AbbVie and the GAA to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities

Sligo, Tuesday January 26th: Sligo GAA officially unveiled its new 2016 jersey and kit during a special launch event at AbbVie’s Manorhamilton Road facility in Sligo today.  The County Board recently advised club delegates at the Annual County Convention that the local biopharmaceutical company would be their main sponsor for the next three years.

The new sponsorship deal will see the AbbVie logo appear on all Senior, U-21 and Junior Football team jerseys from the start of the Allianz National Football League season. The new jersey will make its first competitive appearance in Miltown Malbay when Sligo begin their Division 3 campaign against Clare on January 31st next at 2pm in Hennessey Park.

Members of the Sligo senior squad, including Mark Breheny, Neil Ewing and Niall Murphy, attended the launch event sporting the distinctive black and white strip, which features the AbbVie logo on the front with associated sponsor branding from IT Sligo on the back.

AbbVie and Sligo IT work together across a number of engineering and science-based educational projects so the presence of the two logos on the Sligo team jerseys reflects close ties between both entities.

County Board Treasurer Peter Greene was joined by members of the Sligo GAA Executive to formally unveil the new strip and thanked AbbVie for their commitment to help the organisation nurture and enhance the game in Sligo.

Joe Taaffe, Chairman of Sligo County Board, gave a brief outline of the main areas of focus for the County at the sponsorship launch:

“The completion of our Centre of Excellence now presents Sligo GAA with the opportunity to prepare its Development Squads and County representative teams properly given the excellent playing and gym facilities at Scarden.

“In addition, Sligo GAA will continue to focus on the growth and development of our games in our clubs, in conjunction with our highly qualified coaching staff. And in 2016 we will be making a determined effort to increase the number of referees in the county, who are critical in the overall delivery of our games. 

“The sponsorship provided by AbbVie enables us to build for the future and to ensure that our Senior County teams are as well prepared as the teams they face in the Allianz League and the Championship later in the year.” he added.

AbbVie has two plants in Sligo, one in Ballytivnan and the other at Manorhamilton Road and many of their 300 plus staff members, including a number who participated in the launch event today, have played GAA at various levels. 

Marc O’Donoghue, Site Director, AbbVie Manorhamilton Road, Sligo said: “The GAA plays an incredibly important role in the lives of many of our employees in Sligo, and indeed employees at our other sites in Cork and Dublin, so it’s pleasing to be in a position to help nurture and support the game. We look forward to an exciting season and wish the team and management the best of luck in the coming months.”

Niall Kerlin, Operations Manager, AbbVie Ballytivnan, Sligo said: “We are delighted to formally launch the partnership with Sligo GAA and proud to be supporting an organisation that reflects our own commitment to the Sligo community and to the betterment of people’s health.”