Hockey Ireland strikes major new 3-year sponsorship as EY assumes primary front of shirt placement across Ireland Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s hockey teams.

Extended Photo Caption 

(L-R) Simon MacAllister, EY Ireland Partner; Niamh Byrne, Hockey Ireland Chairperson; Frank O’Keeffe, EY Ireland Managing Partner; Carol Murphy, EY Ireland Partner and Head of Markets; Richard Fahey, Hockey Ireland CEO; announcing a major new 3year partnership between EY and Hockey Ireland. The agreement provides financial and inkind support for both Senior Teams, deepening EY’s involvement in the international highperformance programme since first partnering in 2023. 

The new EY logo placement will appear on the front of the Senior Men’s and Senior Women’s shirts for the first time from 1 March, as both squads travel to Chile to begin their campaigns at the Hockey World Cup Qualifiers, where they aim to secure places at the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The partnership complements EY’s longstanding title sponsorship of the EY Hockey League Divisions 1 and 2, which began in 2017, and reinforces EY’s role as the most significant investor in Irish hockey.  

Friday, February 27 – Dublin: Hockey Ireland and EY are delighted to announce a major new 3-year agreement. The deal struck between both parties will provide financial and in-kind benefits to Hockey Ireland in support of the Ireland Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s hockey teams, in exchange for marketing visibility and brand association.

The announcement marks a deepening of the partnership between Hockey Ireland and EY, which saw EY first engage in the international high-performance programme in 2023, with their sponsorship of the Senior Teams.

Whilst the initial agreement saw EY branding placed in secondary positions across the high-performance international teams, this new agreement puts EY front and centre across the Senior Teams’ match kits.

The new EY logo placement will feature for the first time on the front of the Senior Teams’ shirts starting March 1, as both teams travel to Chile for the Hockey World Cup Qualifiers where they are looking to qualify for August’s Hockey World Cup to be held in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The new partnership will focus the investment on the Senior Teams and compliments EY’s existing title sponsorship of the EY Hockey League Divisions 1 & 2, which dates back to 2017. With this agreement, EY become the most significant investor in the sport, a reflection of the values, objectives and ambition both brands and organisations share for the sport.

The EY front-of-shirt deal marks a new chapter for the Senior International teams. Park Developments remain a committed sponsor of the Senior Women’s team, with enhanced visibility now including the back of the team’s skorts, as well as collar and side-panel placement on the match kit.

Speaking at the announcement, Frank O’Keeffe, Managing Partner, EY Ireland said: 

“All of us in EY Ireland have been incredibly proud of our long-standing support for hockey, and we are genuinely delighted to take that commitment even further by becoming the new front of shirt sponsor of the Ireland Senior Women’s and Senior Men’s teams. These teams continue to inspire people across the island with their talent, hard work and resilience, and it means a great deal to us to stand behind them as they push for World Cup qualification and future success on the international stage. 

We look forward to supporting these elite athletes to reach their full potential, on and off the pitch, as we embark on this new chapter together with Hockey Ireland.” 

Hockey Ireland CEO Richard Fahey said: 

“This is a landmark agreement for Hockey Ireland and our International Senior Teams. EY have been a valued and long-standing supporter of our domestic national leagues and now we will work with them to build and grow the same reputation on the world’s stage.

For a long time now, our senior teams have punched well above their weight internationally and this EY partnership supports the ambition we have for both teams going forward. To have the support of a brand of EY’s reputation and standing gives us the confidence and support we need to succeed for many years to come.” 

The Ireland Senior Women’s team is currently World Rank #13, with the Men World Rank #11. Both sides will begin their campaigns to qualify for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup in the coming days, with the squads aiming to add another major competition appearance to their recent success at Olympic Games, European Championships and FIH Hockey Pro Leagues.