The Football Association of Ireland and the Ireland women's team could see a windfall of up to €5m from sponsorship deals after the team secured World Cup qualification this week.
Sky Ireland, the primary sponsor of the team, and other established official brand partners such as Aviva, Carlsberg and Cadbury could seek to scale already-signed deals with further social media and television campaigns requiring the participation of individual players.
John Trainor, CEO of sporting sponsorship consultancy Onside, said such activations would result in additional revenue for the cash-strapped FAI and that Irish football's governing body would likely seek out an additional four to six category partners to join the like of Aviva.
Depending on how those prospective deals are potentially bundled in with deals for the men's team and grassroots soccer, Trainor estimates a "zone of opportunity" of €500,000 to €1m annually per deal.
Such sponsorships typically run over the course of four years, so the sums in question could reach the €4-5m for the FAI.
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"The opportunity to upsell additional access rights to the organisation unlocks more than the singular focus on the women's team," Trainor said.
"So it doesn't just mean €500,000 to €1m in one year, but potentially bundled across a four-year term on a lot of these deals, you're now getting close to a €5m-type figure.
"And this completely depends on how it's bundled, but it kind of illustrates what's possible in terms of building on the success of the team."
Airlines seeking to transport the team to Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup as well as fashion, accommodation, watch, and telecommunications brands would be the sponsors most interested in the team.
Softs drink brands like Coca-Cola, sports drinks like Powerade and Lucozade, and sportswear brands (Nike, Adidas, Gym + Coffee) as well as new entrants to the market in dental care, technology and professional services would also be interested in the team and the players.
Apart from the potential value that could be unlocked if deals were spread across all the Irish teams, Onside has found growing interest in the women's team -- and women's sport generally -- from both sponsors and the public.
At the start of the year, 90% of sponsors said they'd consider opportunities in women's sport over the next one to three years -- evidence of the momentum behind women's sport generally heading into 2022, according to Trainor.
In terms of the public, Onside classified 20-25% of people as avid fans of the Ireland women's team and a further 25% as casual fans who might seek out a game, but with qualification secured, Trainor expects many of those casual fans will be converted into avid fans.
"I would say kicking into next year, and pre-World Cup, you could expect that close to half the country will have an unreasonably positive level of interest in the team," Trainor said.
"From a sponsors' perspective that is high volume in terms of the number of potential opportunities that would provide for them. Heading into next year, those are probably two key indicators in the market of heightened sponsor appetite or interest for the team."
Captain Katie McCabe would be "unquestionably the jewel in the crown" and "top of the wish list" for sponsors planning to tie down individual players pre-tournament.
The Arsenal forward was already on sponsors' radars at the start of the year, ranking as the only women's footballer in Onside's top 10 most marketable Irish sports personalities.
She also sits alongside swimmer Ellen Keane, Kerry footballer David Clifford, retired rugby players Rob Kearney and Donncha O'Callaghan, hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald and middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean in the 31-40 range of the public's most admired sportspeople.
Trainor says the position she finds herself isn't "madly dissimilar" to Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington before the Tokyo Olympics, and that it wouldn't take much for her to rise into the top 10.
He added that McCabe could probably secure sponsorship deals in the "mid to high five-figure" range at present, but her availability to sponsors would be limited by the fact she is based in the UK.
Of course, with the tournament taking place in an inhospitable timezone for Irish audiences, sponsors will have to hire the best creative advertising agencies to activate their sponsorships when interest in the team is at its highest.
When the men's Rugby World Cup was taking place in New Zealand in 2011, team sponsor O2 hosted a breakfast session at the O2 Arena (now the 3Arena) that was acknowledged by star centre Brian O'Driscoll post-match in a call-out "worth millions" to the brand.
Photo: Manager Vera Pauw celebrates World Cup qualification with the Ireland women's soccer team at Hampden Park on Tuesday night. (Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
