LAST UPDATE | 31 Jan
CORK’S GAA STADIUM is set to be renamed SuperValu Pairc Úi Chaoimh in a sponsorship deal with the supermarket brand – a step back from previous plans which dropped Uí Chaoimh from the name entirely and drew significant backlash.
Cork GAA has confirmed this morning that it intends to rename Páirc Uí Chaoimh to SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh as part of a 10-year partnership with the retailer.
The board said that naming rights will be finalised at a special meeting of delegates to the Cork County Board tomorrow.
Earlier this month, reports of plans to rename the stadium “Supervalu Páirc” drew criticism from GAA fans, politicians, and the grandson of Pádraig Ó Caoimh, who fought for Irish independence and was General Secretary of the GAA.
Cork GAA CEO Kevin O’Donovan told RTÉ Radio today that ‘all parties are happy’ with this proposed name change.
“Unfortunately, there was a leak before we got to organise a consultation process with our clubs. We’re aware of all the commentary. There was no influence from government, there was no interference.
“We had no communication with government throughout this process, but we’re sure they’re happy, and we’re happy and all parties are happy now with the outcome.
“We are very much accountable to our clubs so that is our decision making process and our approval process. Unfortunately as we were about to engage in that process a half version of the story caused a massive furore.
“Yes everybody wants to preserve the name, we did also. All parties wanted to but they understood the difficult position we were in and we expect a very positive response when we go back to our delegates tomorrow night with the good news.”
Dónal Ó Caoimh, grandson of Pádraig Ó Caoimh, expressed his satisfaction with today’s news, saying he was happy ‘that common sense has prevailed’.
He believes the new deal safeguards the honour that saw the stadium named after his grandfather in recognition to his contribution to the GAA and Irish society.
My statement regarding the outcome of the recent Páirc Uí Chaoimh naming rights negotiation: I am happy today that common sense has prevailed and that the Cork GAA and SuperValu have reached a compromise: SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. This compromise helps promote the 1/4
— Dónal Ó Caoimh (@donalocaoimh) January 31, 2024
Tánaiste Micheál Martin, from Cork, was among those to criticise the suggestion to rename the stadium solely in Supervalu’s honour, saying at the time that he was “deeply disappointed and annoyed” at the proposal.
“Pádraig Uí Chaoimh was a key figure in the formation of the GAA at club and national level. Govt allocated €30m towards the development of the stadium and never sought naming rights,” he wrote on social media.
Written by Lauren Boland and posted on TheJournal.ie
