Inter-county stars support Lidl’s ‘County Pride’ campaign

LEADING inter-county stars have gathered to support Lidl Ireland’s ‘County Pride’ campaign which is running throughout the country.  

A chosen player from featured counties can be seen on local billboards and Lidl stores right across the country, as the countdown continues to the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Finals at Croke Park on Sunday, July 31.  

The aim of the campaign is to instil pride for each Ladies Football team on a county by county basis – and to make players more recognisable to the general public in each county.  

The campaign has taken counties by storm as the Championships reach an exciting climax.  

The 2022 TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate and Junior Finalists were confirmed last Sunday, while the Final pairing will be revealed next Saturday when the semi-finals are played at Croke Park.  

Meath star Emma Duggan, a 2021 TG4 All-Ireland winner and All Star, fresh from her last gasp point to beat Galway in the quarter-final, will be a key player for Meath against Donegal and she features on the billboards in the Royal County. Speaking about the ‘County pride’ campaign, Emma said: “I’m delighted to represent Meath as part of Lidl’s County Pride campaign. Lidl’s support for Ladies Gaelic Football over the last six years has been phenomenal and it’s brilliant to have players from all different counties coming together to help promote the game further. Young girls being able to see their favourite players on billboards in their own county is a great thing and I hope it inspires the next generation of players into the future.” 

Lidl ‘One Good Club’ ambassadors, Emer Gallagher (Donegal) and Nicola Ward (Galway) also feature on the billboards in their respective counties. Donegal go into this weekend’s semi-finals looking to avenge their Lidl National League Division 1 final defeat to Meath after beating Leinster champions Dublin on Saturday while Galway were left heartbroken after Emma Duggan’s late point knocked them out at the quarter-final stage. 

The ‘County pride’ campaign will run until the conclusion of the TG4 All-Ireland Championships.  

Speaking about the campaign and its importance, Aoife Clarke, Director of Communications and CSR at Lidl Ireland, said: “Strong female role models are essential to inspire the next generation of Ladies Gaelic Footballers. At Lidl, we wanted to recognise this and drive the message at a key time in the Championship campaign. We are delighted to have incredible footballers from each county proudly displayed at our stores and in other prominent locations. Hopefully it will motivate many young girls who will seek to emulate their local heroes.”  

Mícheál Naughton, President of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, added: “This ‘County Pride’ campaign is yet another example of Lidl’s commitment to Ladies Gaelic Football, and their continued efforts to raise the profile of our sport and players. On my travels through various counties recently, I’ve been thrilled to see the billboards featuring our players, with some fantastic slogans to accompany them. 

We were delighted to confirm a four-year contract extension with Lidl earlier this year, that will mark a decade of #SeriousSupport and take our partnership through to the conclusion of the 2025 inter-county season. The pledge of an additional €5m over the course of those four years will bring total investment from Lidl to €10m in ten years of sponsorship. 

Lidl will also join us as the LGFA celebrates its 50^th anniversary in 2024 – and we look forward to what the future holds for a partnership that has captured the public’s imagination since 2016.”  

Tickets for next Saturday’s TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-finals are available via https://bit.ly/3c5h1HT 

Saturday July 16:  

TG4 All-Ireland SFC semi-finals 

Kerry v Mayo, 2pm  

Meath v Donegal, 4pm