Allianz today announced the extension of its sponsorship of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship for a further three years and unveiled the newest face of its 2025 campaign, 9-year-old Sheamie Garrihy, who will assume the role of Allianz’s first ‘Stop the Drop’ Reporter. Sheamie will take on a unique role, interviewing players, coaches, parents, teachers and sporting personalities from across the world of Gaelic Games to find out what sport means to them, what inspired them to keep going and how adults today can help children stay engaged in sport. Pictured at Croke Park in Dublin are, from left, Sligo footballer Pat Spillane Jnr, Allianz first 'Stop the Drop' reporter, nine year old Sheamie Garrihy from Clare and Meath footballer Cian McBride. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Allianz today announced the extension of its sponsorship of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship for a further three years – reaffirming its long-standing commitment to GAA and Irish sport. Allianz also unveiled the newest face of its 2025 campaign, 9-year-old Sheamie Garrihy, who will assume the role of Allianz’s first ‘Stop the Drop’ Reporter.
As the official Allianz Stop the Drop Reporter, Sheamie will take on a unique role, interviewing players, coaches, parents, teachers and sporting personalities from across the world of Gaelic Games to find out what sport means to them, what inspired them to keep going and how adults today can help children stay engaged in sport. Sheamie’s series of reports will aim to give grown-ups a kid’s view on what they can do to help young people stay in sport.
Throughout the Championship season, Sheamie’s interviews will feature on Allianz’s social media channels, offering insights and stories from interviewees, including GAA President Jarlath Burns, parents of senior inter-county footballers, teachers who play football and senior inter-county players themselves.
This initiative is part of Allianz’s wider Stop the Drop campaign, launched in 2024, which aims to highlight and tackle the rate at which children in Ireland drop out of sport, specifically at the transition from primary to secondary school. With one in five young people stepping away from sport at this pivotal age, Stop the Drop aims to reverse this trend by raising awareness, supporting youth participation and encouraging meaningful conversations between generations. Through its various partnerships, Allianz enables over 60,000 children to connect with sport annually.
Speaking at today’s Allianz sponsorship launch, Geoff Sparling, Allianz Chief Customer Officer, said: “Allianz is proud to extend our support of the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship for another three years. Like our other GAA partnerships, this partnership gives us a platform to continue important work like our Stop the Drop campaign, which shines a light on the challenges facing youth participation in sport.
“Part of that is giving younger generations an opportunity to voice their concerns and understand what those around them can do to encourage participation. Sheamie Garrihy is such a great character and he is the perfect person to represent younger generations and inspire adults to play a bigger role in reducing dropout rates.”
Also speaking at today’s Allianz launch, Uachtarán CLG, Jarlath Burns, said: “Allianz has shown extraordinary commitment not only to the GAA, but to the wider future of Irish sport. Their investment goes beyond competition – it’s about participation, inspiration and creating lasting opportunities for young people. The Stop the Drop campaign is a shining example of that dedication, and we’re delighted to see it grow again this year.”
Allianz has been a supporter of Gaelic Games for over 30-years through the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues. In 2023, Allianz expanded its support further by sponsoring the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship and the Camogie Association, building a foundation for the growth of Gaelic Games, from grassroots to elite level. Allianz is also the proud title sponsor of both the Olympic Federation of Ireland and Paralympics Ireland.
