Nowlan Park, the principal Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) stadium in Kilkenny, Ireland, has been rebranded after a naming rights deal was agreed with US healthcare company University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC).
The 10-year contract between Kilkenny GAA and UPMC will see the 27,800-capacity stadium renamed UPMC Nowlan Park. The sponsorship deal ensures the stadium’s reference to James Nowlan, the longest-serving president of the GAA who served from 1901-1921, remains in place.
Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, UPMC operates more than 40 hospitals, as well as 700 doctors’ offices and outpatient sites. It has bases in Ireland, Italy, China and Kazakhstan, including UPMC Whitfield Hospital in Waterford, Munster.
“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,” said chairperson of Kilkenny GAA, Jimmy Walsh.
“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.”
David Beirne, CEO at UPMC Whitfield Hospital in Waterford and senior vice-president of UPMC International, added: “UPMC has a history of working with leading sporting organisations to support excellence on and off the pitch. In the US, we’ve been partnering with both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins for many years and are excited about extending this spirit of partnership to Kilkenny GAA.
“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 grass roots club level.”
Image: KerryCow
Share this