{"id":599160,"date":"2026-08-20T12:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/599160\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T12:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T12:40:17","slug":"vodafone-steps-up-to-become-main-sponsor-of-ireland-womens-rugby-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/599160\/","title":{"rendered":"Vodafone Steps Up to Become Main Sponsor of Ireland Women\u2019s Rugby Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vodafone Ireland has deepened its relationship with Irish Rugby by becoming Main Sponsor of the Ireland Women\u2019s Team, with its branding moving to the front of the national jersey for the first time.<\/p>\n

The agreement began in July and will run through to 2028, extending a partnership with the IRFU that has steadily developed across both the men\u2019s and women\u2019s games over the past decade.<\/p>\n

It also represents a natural succession in one of the most established commercial relationships in Irish women\u2019s sport. Aon had been the principal sponsor of the Ireland Women\u2019s Team since becoming its first official sponsor in 2014, with its most recent agreement running until the end of June 2026.<\/p>\n

Vodafone has been Main Sponsor of the Ireland Men\u2019s Team since 2016 and extended that relationship in 2023 through to 2028. As part of that extension, the company increased its presence within the women\u2019s game, appearing on the back of the Ireland Women\u2019s jersey from 2024 while continuing its title sponsorship of the Women\u2019s Interprovincial Championship.<\/p>\n

The latest move, therefore, brings the senior women\u2019s team much more prominently into Vodafone\u2019s Team of Us rugby platform.<\/p>\n

The first competitive outing with Vodafone on the front of the jersey will come when Ireland face the USA at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday, September 20, as part of the new WXV Global Series. Ireland will subsequently host Japan in Galway and Cork before travelling to South Africa for two Tests in Cape Town.<\/p>\n

For Vodafone, the timing coincides with its 25th anniversary in Ireland and with a period of significant growth around the women\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s final Guinness Women\u2019s Six Nations fixture against Scotland in May attracted 31,294 supporters to the Aviva Stadium, a record home crowd for the women\u2019s team and the first standalone Ireland Women\u2019s international staged at the stadium. Ireland won the game 54-5.<\/p>\n

That audience, alongside increased participation and greater visibility for the domestic game, provides an increasingly valuable commercial platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s rugby is attracting new players, new supporters and inspiring a new generation across Ireland,\u201d said Vodafone Ireland CEO Sabrina Casalta.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate, compete and thrive in sport, and together with the IRFU, we are doubling down on our support to help build on that momentum and support the continued growth of the game for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

IRFU President Tony O\u2019Beirne described the increased commitment as \u201ca powerful endorsement of the continued growth and ambition of the women\u2019s game in Ireland\u201d.<\/p>\n

The sponsorship also sits alongside Vodafone\u2019s wider investment in women\u2019s sport internationally, including its involvement as an official partner of UEFA Women\u2019s Football.<\/p>\n

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Sport for Business Perspective<\/p>\n

There is significance to the progression of this partnership beyond simply changing the logo\u2019s position on a jersey.<\/p>\n

Aon was an important pioneer, coming on board at a time when the commercial landscape around the Ireland Women\u2019s Team was considerably less developed. Its sponsorship ultimately lasted more than a decade.<\/p>\n

Vodafone is now taking over the lead position at a markedly different stage in the market.<\/p>\n

Crowds are growing, the national team has a significantly greater profile, the international calendar is becoming more structured through the WXV Global Series, and women\u2019s rugby is increasingly capable of delivering sponsorship value in its own right rather than as an addition to a broader rugby agreement.<\/p>\n

Vodafone has also taken a staged route towards this position: Women\u2019s Rugby World Cup involvement in 2017, the Women\u2019s Interprovincial Championship from 2021, the back of the national jersey from 2024 and now Main Sponsor.<\/p>\n

That progression is perhaps as important as the announcement itself.<\/p>\n

It shows what a long-term investment pathway for women\u2019s sport can look like, moving from support and activation to ownership of one of the most prominent commercial assets available to the national team.<\/p>\n

For the IRFU, securing the lead sponsorship through to 2028 also gives commercial certainty during what could be another transformative period for the women\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/a>Vodafone Ireland and the IRFU are full members of Sport for Business.<\/p>\n

If you would like to be part of the Sport for Business community and see your organisation in our content, on our stages, and in the conversation happening every day around the commercial world of Irish Sport,\u00a0email us today<\/a>\u00a0and let\u2019s see what is possible.<\/p>\n

Image Credit: IRFU and Vodafone<\/p>\n

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ABOUT SPORT FOR BUSINESS<\/p>\n

Sport for Business is Ireland\u2019s leading platform focused on the commercial, strategic and societal impact of sport. It connects decision-makers across governing bodies, clubs, brands, agencies, and public institutions through high-quality content, events, and insights. <\/p>\n

Sport for Business explores how sport drives economic value, participation, inclusion and national identity, and how your story can be part of ours.<\/p>\n

Through analysis, storytelling and convening the sector, it helps leaders understand trends, share best practices, and make better-informed decisions. It positions sport not just as entertainment but as a vital contributor to Ireland\u2019s social and economic fabric.<\/p>\n

Find out more about becoming a member today.<\/a><\/p>\n

Or sign up for our Daily Sport for Business Snapshot email bulletins to get a flavour of the material we cover.<\/p>\n

Sign up for our News Bulletins here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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