Dublin's boot deal more likely to be a one-off arrangement

The new adidas footwear sponsorship deal with the Dublin County Board does not signal the start of a major move into the GAA, according to a spokesperson for the sportswear company.

The one-year agreement, which was confirmed yesterday, is described as a one-off, with no current plans for similar deals with other high-profile counties.

While the deal followed an approach from adidas to the Dublin senior football team, the fact that non-Irish companies are still prevented under rule from providing playing gear to the GAA, with the exception of boots, means that such investments are likely to remain one-offs.

Under the deal all Dublin county teams in both football and hurling - at minor, under-21 and senior level - will be provided with adidas boots. Although the exact financial details of the deal have not yet been disclosed, it is known to be performance-based. There will also be an initial contribution to the players' fund.

In announcing the deal, the Dublin County Board paid tribute to the contribution of the senior football team and management in ensuring that all county teams in both codes would benefit from this sponsorship.

According to the company, however, the restrictions placed on full endorsement deals under the GAA rules has limited the extent of such investments. "We are still prevented from going down the textile route, so the next opportunity for us was footwear," said an adidas spokesperson.

"So this was a nice opportunity for us to make some sort of statement about our interest in GAA, and not just in helping out the Dublin senior footballers, but the under-21 and minor hurling teams.

"And we wanted to give it one splash, and what better team to do that with than Dublin? But there are no plans right now to do the same with other counties, other than we said we'd wait and see how it works out with Dublin."

In 1999, Kerry brought a motion to Congress in Galway, requesting the rule to be amended from simply "manufacturer" of GAA gear, to "supplier/manufacturer" of GAA gear, which would have allowed gear to be supplied to county teams, even though it was manufactured overseas.

That motion, however, was firmly rejected. The only exception remains in the supply of boots - for the simple reason that no company currently manufactures them in Ireland. Several Dublin players, including Ray Cosgrove and Alan Brogan, already receive complimentary boots from adidas on a regular basis.

Dublin will play their next round of the Leinster hurling championship against Laois in Kilkenny's Nowlan Park on the evening of Saturday week, May 24th. It had been hoped to play the game as part of a double-bill with the Laois-Offaly game in the football championship in Portlaoise, but that game will now go ahead on its original date of May 25th.