Direct hit

Cliftonville Football Club welcomes this morning’s announcement by the NI Football League that Sports Direct is to become the new title sponsor of both the Premiership and Women’s Premiership.

The three-year partnership represents the biggest commercial deal in the history of the League and will formally commence when Cliftonville Ladies begin their defence of the Women’s Premiership title with a home game against Linfield Women on Friday, April 21.

Sports Direct will then assume sponsorship of the Men’s Premiership ahead of the 2023/24 campaign in August, with all at Solitude happy to extend our congratulations to everyone at NIFL for securing a deal that promises fresh innovations and rewards for supporters of the domestic game.

NIFL Chief Executive Gerard Lawlor commented: “This is a huge step forward for the League as we grow commercially, and to bring a major brand like Sports Direct as a partner and sponsor is testament to the growth of our business in recent years and that they can see the ambition we have to keep pushing forward and want to be part of that journey.”

Leonard Brassel, Managing Director of Sports Direct Ireland, added: “This is an exciting time to be involved in football in Northern Ireland and we’re delighted to be partnering with NIFL to sponsor both Premiership Leagues. NIFL is rich with history but also has so much to look forward to and we feel that it is the perfect fit for us.”