The Tipperary Camogie County board has announced two new partnerships that will support the development of players, structures and facilities within the county. Today’s landmark announcement will see Alpha Drives Ltd. become the county’s main sponsor while an athletic development partnership with Setanta College was also launched.

The partnership with Setanta will include the design and delivery of long-term development programmes for players from U14 to Senior level, along with access to state-of-the-art facilities. The move will also ensure that camogie players within the county are provided with an equal level of athletic development support and facilities as their male counterparts in Tipperary GAA, following a similar partnership announced with Setanta in December.

Speaking on the three-year agreement with Alpha Drives Ltd, Tipperary Camogie Chairperson Denis Lenihan said, “This partnership will provide Tipperary Camogie with great scope to develop, enhance and promote our teams over the next three years. We are delighted to have Alpha Drives Ltd. on board, and we hope this partnership will lead to greater achievements for both parties.”

Headquartered in Portlaoise, Alpha Drives Ltd. design and manufacture power distribution and motor control panels incorporating Siemens Automation and Drives plus Flender Mechanical Drive Systems. They deliver highly efficient solutions to industries throughout Ireland and Europe. Managing Director of Alpha Drives Ltd. and Tipperary native John Dwan said, “The Tipperary Camogie team has shown huge progress over the last number of years and we are delighted to support them as they look to build on great performances and achieve future successes.”

Speaking on the partnership with Setanta, Tipperary Camogie Treasurer Aine Kiely O’Donnell said, “This is a hugely significant partnership for camogie players throughout the county at all levels. Setanta will become our long-term partners in a fresh and joined up approach that will provide our members with equal athletic development opportunities as male players in Tipperary. Setanta are leaders in the field and it will be of great benefit to players from U14 to Senior level.”

With a long-standing presence in Thurles, Setanta College specialises in providing higher education across the field of human performance, specifically in strength & conditioning, sports science, sports psychology, and exercise nutrition. Coaches from Setanta will lead the delivery of programmes for players and will be led by Des Ryan, previously Head of Sports Medicine and Athletic Development at Arsenal FC Academy and now Director of Coaching and Performance at Setanta College.

Speaking at the launch, Des Ryan said, “We are excited to help Tipperary Camogie build on the great progress it has made in recent years, helping them to nurture the potential of players within the county.

Players will be guided by expert coaches to support their athletic development and we are delighted to provide access to state-of-the-art facilities throughout their training.”