GAELIC GAMES:The Dublin football team are easily one of the most bankable brands in Irish sport. In the world of the people who are charged with turning an intangible like, say, hype into a tangible like, say, money, the Dubs have lots of friends and lots of people who want to be friends, writes MALACHY CLERKIN.

In a new study to be published in the coming weeks by Dublin firm Onside Sponsorship consultants, the number of people who claim to be loyal Dublin supporters is just over half a million. By way of comparison, Onside found that Liverpool have 470,000 claimed loyal supporters and Manchester United have 680,000. Leinster rugby are by far the market leaders with over a million supporters.

It’s little surprise then that even in the teeth of a recession, Dublin were able to change jersey sponsors in late 2009 and move seamlessly from Arnotts to Vodafone in a deal worth

€4.65 million over six years. Just before they switched sponsors, another study found that Dublin and Arnotts had the highest brand recognition of any coupling in Irish sports sponsorship, with 63.9 per cent of respondents knowing unprompted Arnotts were the sponsor. By contrast, only 42 per cent knew Bank Of Ireland sponsored Leinster rugby.

“Their brand delivers very well,” says John Trainor, managing director of Onside. “It would be far in excess of other GAA jersey deals because the level of awareness would stack up much better.”

In other words, the hype helps.

It doesn’t necessarily transfer to television figures, however. Although last year’s Dublin v Cork All-Ireland semi-final drew the fourth-highest audience for any sports programme in 2010, it only outstripped the other semi-final between Kildare and Down by around 50,000 viewers. When you take into account the relative population sizes of the counties involved, it suggests the fact it was a semi-final had as much of a bearing on the number as the fact it was the Dubs.

The viewing figures on TG4 for last year’s league final between Cork and Mayo peaked at 280,000 and averaged out at 220,000. Whether Dublin’s involvement will boost it further this year remains to be seen.

Cork

beat Kerry 0-17 to 1-13, Tralee,

lost to Dublin 0-16 to 3-13, Croke Park

beat Monaghan 1-15 to 1-12, Páirc Uí Chaoimh

beat Down 3-17 to 0-15, Páirc Uí Rinn

beat Galway 0-16 to 0-13, Pearse Stadium

lost to Mayo 0-14 to 1-13, McHale Park

beat Armagh 2-15 to 1-12, Páirc Uí Chaoimh

February 19th, 2011

National Football League

At Croke Park: Dublin 3-13 Cork 0-16

August 22nd, 2010

All Ireland SFC semi-final

At Croke Park: Cork 1-15 Dublin 1-14

March 20th, 2010

National Football League

At Páirc Uí Rinn: Cork 2-13 Dublin 2-6

Kerry 19 (1928, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1959,1961, 1963, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1984, 1997, 2004, 2006, 2009); Mayo 11

(1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1949, 1954, 1970, 2001); Dublin 9 (1953, 1955, 1958, 1964, 1976, 1978, 1987, 1991, 1993); Meath 7 (1933, 1946, 1951, 1975, 1988, 1990, 1994); Derry 6 (1947, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2008); Cork 6 (1952, 1956, 1980, 1989, 1999, 2010); Down 4 (1960, 1962, 1968, 1983); Galway 4 (1957, 1965, 1967, 1981); Laois 2 (1926, 1986); Cavan 2 (1948, 1950); Tyrone 2 (2002, 2003); Armagh 1 (2005); Longford 1 (1966); Monaghan 1 (1985); Roscommon 1 (1979); Offaly 1 (1998); Donegal 1 (2007).

Last three meetings

League roll of honour

Dublin

beat Armagh 2-12 to 1-11, Athletic Grounds

beat Cork 3-13 to 0-16, Croke Park

beat Kerry 3-10 to 1-15, Croke Park

beat Monaghan 0-13 to 1-9, Clones

beat Mayo 4-15 to 3-13, Croke Park

beat Down 2-10 to 0-13, Croke Park

drew with Galway 2-9 to 0-15, Pearse Stadium