Bon Secours Hospital revealed as new sponsor of Limerick SHC
Jerome O’Connell Limerick Leader
Bon Secours Hospital revealed as new sponsor of Limerick SHC
LIMERICK GAA by signing a new sponsorship deal for its county senior hurling championship with Bon Secours Hospital Limerick at Barringtons.
The three-year partnership will see Limerick’s oldest hospital deepen its relationship with Limerick GAA as it puts its support behind one of the most competitive and exciting county senior hurling club championships in the country – the Limerick SHC.
The sponsorship – the blue riband competition will be known as the Bon Secours Hospital Limerick Senior Hurling Championship – was announced today at Bon Secours Hospital Limerick at Barringtons in the company of the Allianz Hurling League trophy; the Dr Croke Cup which was won 24-hours earlier in the Croke Park final with Waterford.
Monday’s event was attended by Limerick manager John Kiely and players Declan Hannon, Cian Lynch and Shane Dowling – all fresh from yesterday’s league final victory over Waterford in Croke Park.
The event also saw not just the Limerick SHC trophy, the Daly Cup, but also the Liam MacCarthy Cup, the Croke Cup and the Fenway Classic Cup won in Boston in November all assembled together for the first time.
Also in attendance were Limerick GAA Chairman John Cregan, Secretary Mike O’Riordan as well as Bon Secours Hospital Limerick at Barringtons Manager Jason Kenny.
The partnership comes on top of the existing relationship between the two that sees the hospital provide quick access to Limerick senior players for MRI and X-rays to ensure quick and exact injury diagnosis and, in turn, allows players to embark immediately on their recovery programme.
The club championship sponsorship agreement kicks in for the commencement of the first round of the ‘Bon Secours Hospital Limerick SHC’ on April 12-14.
“It’s a great time for Limerick hurling but all that’s happened over the last year or so would not have happened were it not for our clubs. The success at county level is making our club championships hugely competitive and it’s great to get this support for it from our local Bon Secours hospital,” said Limerick manager John Kiely.
“Many of our players know this hospital very well from coming in and out of here for injury diagnosis. They look after us brilliantly and the fact that they are now coming on board to provide this important financial backing for the club championship shows their commitment to sport in the county,” said Kiely.
Limerick GAA Chairman John Cregan welcomed the new deal.
“Yesterday was a great day on the pitch for us and today is a great day off the pitch. It all starts with the club. Nothing happens without the club and we’re delighted to be getting this boost so close the start of this year’s championship,” said the chairman.
“We have a long-standing relationship with this hospital and it’s a really positive one as we get expert, quality care here for our players. The hospital is going from strength to strength under the Bon Secours Health System since it acquired it two years ago and this is deepening its investment in Limerick. This is as a great fit.”
Jason Kenny, Hospital Manager said they were “delighted” to be the new sponsors.
“It’s a top club competition and we already have a great relationship with many of the players as they come in and out to for injury scans. They’re an absolute pleasure to deal with and we are just delighted to be able to bring our expertise here to bear. We’ve invested €6m on the hospital since we acquired it just under two years ago and we are now investing in something that’s very important to this city and county. We saw the joy that last year’s All-Ireland final win brought to everyone in Limerick and, indeed, yesterday’s league win on top of that. With this investment in the club championship, we are supporting the grass-roots structure that all this has been founded on,” outlined Kenny.
