Bulmers' Cups and Shields sponsorship comes to an end
28th February 2011

Bulmers, sponsors of the All Ireland Cups and Shields for the past 19 years, have with regret, decided to not to seek a further term as sponsors of the largest amateur golf competition in Europe.

Speaking about the decision Eugene Fayne, President of the GUI said "On behalf of all of the members, officials and supporters of teams that have competed in Cups and Shields events over the past two decades, I would like to express a sincere thank you to Bulmers for their support. Obviously we are sad to have such a fruitful relationship come to an end, but the time has come for Bulmers to move on."

"The Marketing team at Bulmers, saw an opportunity to grow their brand using golf as a platform, and the success of this sponsorship can be seen across Ireland, as Bulmers is now a leading brand in its industry."

"We are actively seeking a new sponsor for the Cups and Shields, and hopefully given the wonderful results achieved by Bulmers, it should not be long before a new name will become synonymous with the All Ireland Cups and Shields."

Stephen Kent, Marketing Director, Bulmers spoke about their decision "I want to thank the General Secretary, Seamus Smith of the Golfing Union of Ireland for the successful roll-out and development of Bulmers' title sponsorship of the Cups & Shields over the last two decades, which has been of extraordinary value to the Bulmers brand."

"The Bulmers Cups & Shields sponsorship is recognised both internally by our own team and externally by marketing experts as a key element of the marketing strategy that transformed the Cider category in Ireland. The sponsorship played a vital role in the repositioning of the Bulmers brand as a premium brand in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and is now recognised in academia as a marketing case-study."