There was big news for St James’ GAA club in Galway this week as Sports Direct announced that they will become an Official Supporter of the Galway club for the next three years until 2024. Today’s announcement was part of a nationwide expansion of Sports Direct’s grassroots GAA support programme, with a further five new clubs – including St James’ GAA - added to their portfolio, bringing their overall grassroots GAA support to 11 clubs nationwide.
The news for the local club also comes just one month before the opening of a new Sports Direct store in the heart of Galway city centre in June 2021, at Corrib Shopping Centre, with plans for further expansion throughout Ireland this year.
For the past three years, as part of Cycle 1 of their grassroots programme, Sports Direct has been proud Official Supporters of six GAA clubs across Ireland including: Glen Rovers (Cork), Listry GAA (Kerry), Ballygunner GAA (Waterford), Clane GAA (Kildare), St Dominic’s GAA (Roscommon) and Bellaghy GAC (Derry). Sports Direct has invested more than €250,000 into their support at this level to date, and today’s announcement further shows their commitment to local GAA as, with the launch of Cycle 2 of the programme, they will not only continue their support of their Cycle 1 clubs, but have also added support for Blessington GAA (Wicklow), Cavan Gaels GAA (Cavan), Geraldine’s GFC (Louth), Rhode GAA (Offaly) and St. James’ GAA (Galway) into their grassroots fold.
The expansion of their grassroots GAA support in Ireland is a firm statement of intent by Sports Direct to continue to build and maintain grassroot level activity to help create a positive impact on local communities.
They firmly believe in the important role that sport plays in our local communities and harnessing future achievements. Today’s announcement comes just three months after Sports Direct’s unveiling as the proud sponsors of Cork GAA across the men’s senior football and hurling teams, and the Minor and Under 20 teams in both codes for the next five years.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Sports Direct’s Managing Director, Leonard Brassel said: “Over the past three years, we have been Official Supporters of six grassroots GAA clubs and we have nurtured positive relationships with each of them, which remain true and respectful to the principles and culture of these clubs. Today, we are incredibly proud to announce our expansion of this support for another three years and incorporating five more clubs, to bring the total number of clubs to 11 nationwide. As we continue to expand in the Irish market, the group couldn’t be prouder of our Grassroots Official Supporter programme.
"We are delighted to take this next step in our grassroots support, and help to support these clubs and communities who have such a passion for GAA. All of us at Sports Direct share this passion for Gaelic Games, and we look forward to working with all of these local clubs and celebrating the local success stories. We are especially thrilled to welcome St James’ GAA into the fold, and are really looking forward to celebrating the opening of our new Galway store in Corrib Shopping Centre this June.’’
With the return of sport, Sports Direct’s stores are open now by appointment for children’s footwear and essentials. From Tuesday, May 11th, Sports Direct will also be open by appointment for all of your other sporting needs. You can find your local store here: https://ie.sportsdirect.com/stores.
