Ballygowan Irish Natural Mineral Water Announces Four-Year Sponsorship With IRFU
Ireland internationals Jack Conan, Enya Breen, Aoife Doyle, Dorothy Wall, Mack Hansen and Gavin Coombes at the announcement of the Ballygowan Irish Natural Mineral Water sponsorship with the IRFU ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
Ballygowan, Ireland’s number one water brand and part of Britvic Ireland, has been announced today as the Official Water Partner of Irish Rugby in a new four-year deal.
The partnership sees Ballygowan become one of the official partners of the IRFU, which includes the Ireland Men’s senior team, the Ireland Women’s senior team, and the Ireland Men’s and Women’s Sevens teams, as well as becoming an official sponsor of the IRFU National Referee panel.
Ireland Men’s players Mack Hansen, Gavin Coombes, and Jack Conan took a break from training to help launch the new partnership in Dunboyne Castle ahead of the Bank of Ireland Nations Series kicking off next week.
They were joined by Ireland Women’s players Aoife Doyle, Enya Breen, and Dorothy Wall. Kevin Donnelly, Managing Director, Britvic Ireland, and Jessica Long, Head of Commercial with the IRFU, were also in attendance.
Under the new agreement, Ballygowan will provide the IRFU with 40,000 litres of water each year to ensure players have the optimal water intake to maintain a normal water balance during training and matches.
The average rugby player covers approximately seven kilometres during a match, and it is not unusual for a particularly active player to lose up to a kilo in weight through dehydration.
Ballygowan will support the new partnership with an integrated through the line campaign, entitled ‘Bottled Wild for Irish Rugby’, which will include a dedicated TVC, OOH, digital and social media support, PR, as well as in-store POS rolled out across key retail outlets nationwide.
According to the IRFU Head of Nutrition, Emma Gardner, the average rugby player can consume large volumes of water on training and match days to guarantee adequate pre-session fluid status, optimise performance, and replenish fluids they lose through sweat.
Commenting on the sponsorship agreement, Jessica Long, Head of Commercial with the IRFU, said:
Irish Rugby is delighted to welcome Ballygowan as the Official Water Partner of the IRFU. Keeping players’ fluids in balance is an integral part of achieving peak performance and we are delighted to be working with a home-grown Irish brand with a proven track-record in the Irish market.
“We are looking forward to further developing our relationship with Britvic, and I have no doubt our athletes and fans will welcome the support this partnership provides.”
Kevin Donnelly, Managing Director of Britvic Ireland, stated: “Ballygowan is Ireland’s number one bottled water brand and we are proud to partner with Irish Rugby at all levels.
“Ballygowan is bottled in Ireland, travels less miles than imported brands to get to Irish consumers, and our bottles are 100% recyclable and made from 100% recycled materials.”
Ballygowan Natural Irish Mineral Water is the perfect drink, suitable for everyone, no matter what their activity level is – from leading professional rugby players to a group of friends playing Tag rugby, or to refresh after a brisk walk or run.
Last year, Ballygowan relaunched the brand with the new ‘Bottled Wild’ campaign. The campaign was a major step forward in the brand’s ambition to be the most sustainable water brand in Ireland.
All bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic, and are 100% recyclable but contain the same refreshing water, bottled wild from source at Newcastle West in Limerick.
By introducing the new bottles, Ballygowan is helping to remove 51 million virgin PET bottles, which is 1,288 tonnes of non-recycled plastic.
When recycled correctly, Ballygowan rPET bottles can be reused over and over again, becoming a contributor to the circular economy, and resulting in a positive impact on the planet.