Home of Kilkenny GAA to be renamed
By COLIN BARTLEY
NOWLAN Park has a new name after the county board agreed a new 10-year sponsporship deal to rename the famous home of Kilkenny GAA.
US healthcare giant UPMC has come on-board with Kilkenny GAA in a deal that will see the county grounds become known as UPMC Nowlan Park.
A 10-year naming-rights deal has been reached with the private healthcare provider. No information regarding the financial agreement was revealed at the meeting of the county board.
In a statement released last night, Kilkenny GAA chairperson Jimmy Walsh said: ‘The partnership will enormously benefit GAA players in Kilkenny across all age grades, including development squads with the provision of the most modern technology and training systems available’.
“We are delighted to welcome UPMC to Nowlan Park and look forward to working with them in the years ahead. Our partnership is an excellent fit for Kilkenny GAA. Health and wellness are an integral part of UPMC’s mission, as they are of key importance to Kilkenny GAA.
“This alliance will help to enhance and develop facilities in Nowlan Park into the future. Thanks to UPMC’s sponsorship, we will be able to invest in the betterment of the association in County Kilkenny, providing a higher class of facilities and maintaining them to a proper standard at the stadium, something that every club in the county and beyond will benefit from.”
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is a $19 billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 85,000 employees, 40 hospitals with more than 8,000 licensed beds, and has a history in sports sponsorship partnering with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL and Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League.
David Beirne, chief executive officer at UPMC Whitfield Hospital in Waterford and senior vice president, UPMC International, added: “Through our sponsorship of UPMC Nowlan Park, we look forward to supporting the GAA and Gaelic games in Kilkenny and the South East in the years ahead, from top inter-county players to the grassroots club level.
“Our mission is to serve our community by providing outstanding patient care and to shape tomorrow’s health system through clinical and technological innovation, research, and education. We look forward to collaborating with Kilkenny GAA on many different initiatives across health and wellness, player welfare and education.”
