Kelly foresees more sponsors for underage

Sponsorships similar to the Erin endorsement of the All-Ireland under-21 hurling championship will soon be introduced to all under-age competitions, according to GAA president Seán Kelly.

Details of the inaugural under-age sponsorship were announced at a launch in Dublin yesterday, with the competition now to be known as the Erin All-Ireland under-21 hurling championship.

The sponsorship deal will initially run until 2006, and that term was described as the "minimum commitment" by the owners of Erin foods, Campbell's Soup Ireland.

Though the 2003 under-21 hurling championship is already under way, Kelly welcomed Erin on board for the remainder of the season, and said it would do wonders in increasing the already high profile of the competition over the following three years.

"We sincerely believe that Erin's involvement in these championships will further increase the profile of hurling at under-21 level.

"And anyone who has been involved with the last number of the under-21 championships will appreciate that the game at this level is prospering.

"For some reason the games have been of outstanding quality, and the crowds have responded in time. So I think the counties involved provide terrific entertainment for ever increasing audiences."

Kelly was confident that a similar sponsor would be found for the under-21 football championship for next season, and also for the minor championships in both codes in the near future.

"I think the Erin sponsorship will encourage others to come on board," he said.

John Rooney, the marketing director for Campbell's Soup Ireland, also praised the speed and efficiency at which the GAA took on board the sponsorship deal.

It also represents the first major sponsorship deal for the food company, which, coincidentally, was also founded in Thurles, in 1963.

The under-21 hurling championship was itself launched in 1964, and designed to act as a bridge between minor and senior level.

Three hurlers who found particular use of that bridge - Eoin Kelly of Tipperary, Henry Shefflin of Kilkenny and Timmy Houlihan of Limerick - were also present at yesterday's launch in Dublin.

Houlihan was part of the Limerick team that last year won their third All-Ireland title in succession (with Houlihan one of several players who was part of all three successful teams).

The All-Ireland champions are next in action against Cork in the Munster semi-final on July 9th.

The Munster champions will then go on to play against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-finals on August 23-24th, with the Leinster champions coming up against the Ulster champions on the same weekend.

The competition climaxes with the final on September 21st.