News

Turkish Airlines has been unveiled as the new headline sponsor of the senior men’s international team at a ceremony in Dublin today. Initially for one year, the exciting partnership ensures Turkish Airlines involvement with the Irish squad throughout the upcoming busy season with the option to extend for a further two years into 2020.
The announcement is welcome good news for the national governing body:

“Cricket Ireland are delighted to welcome Turkish Airlines into the Irish Cricket family,” said CEO of Cricket Ireland Warren Deutrom. “With the opportunities afforded by the growth of cricket in Ireland and by what we hope are positive decisions around our status in the world game, there couldn’t be a better time for a brand the scale of Turkish Airlines to become part of our journey.

“We’re very grateful to Turkish Airlines for their support and look forward to working together with Mr. Hasan Mutlu, General Manager of Turkish Airlines in Dublin, and his team to achieve our shared objectives.

“This summer will see an unprecedented schedule of ODIs against major opposition, starting with our historic series against England at Bristol and Lord’s next week, followed swiftly by the Tri Nation series against New Zealand and Bangladesh.

“Facing teams of this calibre on a regular basis is is what we have been striving towards for the past 10 years and not only will these matches be great sporting occasions but I believe they reflect how far we have come in the sport in that period,” added Deutrom.

“We are also delighted to be partnering with eir Sport on the broadcast of our Tri Nation series which will allow us to bring the action not just to our fans in Ireland but to every major cricket market around the world.“

Hasan Mutlu, General Manager of Turkish Airlines Dublin was delighted at securing the Title Sponsorship agreement with Cricket Ireland saying:

‘Ireland of course is a very important destination for Turkish Airlines, as well as all others that we serve. Turkish Airlines, the airline that flies to more countries than any other airline, this year celebrates its 10 years in Ireland and will continue this growing presence in the region with its commitment and support for Irish Sport. And
the fact remains that, Cricket is a great connector among its fans around world, uniting them around a mutual passion for the game. Today we see the sponsorship of the Irish Cricket Team as a very special one, one which we regard as an immense privilege, and because of that we continue to support this sport to new heights among other popular sports branches worldwide.”

The positive sentiment was echoed by Cricket Ireland Commercial Director Dennis Cousins who said of the new sponsorship deal: “We’re exceptionally pleased to be announcing this partnership with Turkish Airlines with whom Cricket Ireland share a common global footprint and similar values.

“Turkish Airlines have established a strong presence in Ireland and their increasing number of routes also coincide with many of the international territories where the Cricket Ireland brand has grown over the last ten years,” added Cousins.

“This partnership represents a significant step forward for Cricket Ireland which will see us working with a customer-focussed, global brand, that has extensive experience in working with both high profile and large sports rights holders.

“With the marketing investment that will be provided by Turkish Airlines to Cricket Ireland, we’re confident that this will enable us to further raise the profile of Irish cricket at home and abroad and will support us with our ambition to make cricket mainstream in Ireland,” concluded Cousins.

Irish international legends Ed Joyce and Kevin O’Brien were on hand at today’s event which also saw the launch of Ireland’s summer schedule including two historic ODIs in England in early May, followed by a quick return home to face Full Members, Bangladesh and New Zealand in a Tri Nations Series. Cricket Ireland also revealed that eir Sports will be broadcasting the entire series on Irish television; matches that are anticipating global viewing numbers reaching scores of millions worldwide.

Ireland currently have seven ODI’s scheduled for the forthcoming season:
England v Ireland, Bristol, May 5 – 10.45am
England v Ireland, Lord’s, May 7 – 10.45am
Ireland v Bangladesh, Malahide, May 12 – 10.45am
Ireland v New Zealand, Malahide, May 14 – 10.45am
Ireland v Bangladesh, Malahide, May 19 – 10.45am
Ireland v New Zealand, Malahide, May 21 – 10.45am
Ireland v West Indies, Stormont, September 13 – 10.15am

Tickets are still available for the Tri Nation Series and can be purchased on Ticketmaster.ie

For further information please contact Cricket Ireland Marketing Manager Niamh O’Shea:
Email: niamh.oshea@cricketireland.ie Tel: + 353 1 8947914 Mob: +353 86 8918820

And

Turkish Airlines Marketing Executive Alper Kanburoglu
Email: akanburoglu@thy.comTel: T + 353 1 8447920 Ext: 42917

About Turkish Airlines:
Established in 1933 with a fleet of five aircraft, Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines is a 4-star airline today with a fleet of 338 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying to 299 destinations worldwide with 250 international and 49 domestic. According to the 2016 Skytrax survey, Turkish Airlines was chosen as “Europe’s Best Airline” for the sixth and “Best Airline in Southern Europe” for the eighth consecutive time. Having won in 2010 the world’s “Best Economy Catering Service”, in 2013 and also in 2014 the world’s “Best Business Catering Service”, and “Best Business Class Lounge Dining”, “Best Business Airline Lounge” awards in last year’s survey, Turkish Airlines was awarded again the world’s “Best Business Class Dining Lounge” and “Best Business Class On-Board Catering” prizes in this year’s survey. More information about Turkish Airlines can be found on its official website www.turkishairlines.com or its social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Linkedin, and Instagram.

About Star Alliance:
The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca Brasil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,450 daily flights to 1,300 airports in 190 countries.

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