Vodafone was ranked as the ‘most appealing sports sponsor’ for the second quarter of 2025. The mobile phone brand is a long-standing IRFU partner and main sponsor of the Ireland rugby men’s team. Guinness, which was the leader for the first quarter of the year, remained a strong contender in second, while Lidl held third for its GAA women’s sponsorship.
Beyond the top three, other prominent sports sponsors included rugby partners Bank of Ireland, Aviva, and Aldi, alongside GAA sponsors AIB and Allianz, and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) sponsor Sky. Onside, which was behind the survey, reported that 86 per cent of Irish adults recalled “an appealing sports sponsor”.
The non-sports category saw Three, Electric Ireland, and Musgrave’s SuperValu retaining the top three positions from the first quarter. A new segment of the review explored public sentiment towards cause-related and community support events. Lidl emerged as the leader, driven by its ‘We Care Back’ (above) campaign for Family Carers Ireland.
Key findings from Q2 review
46% increase in the number of sponsorship deals in the market for the first six months of the year compared to H1 2024.
53% increase in the number of sports deals for the first six months of the year compared to H1 2024.
32% increase in non-sports deals in H1 2025, compared to the same time last year.
86% majority of Irish adults able to recall an appealing sports sponsor.
91% peak recall for appealing sports sponsors among males aged 18-34.
