Certa fuels development of women’s cricket in Clare
IRELAND’s largest fuel supplier is set to boost the development of women’s cricket in Clare.
After becoming the new title sponsor of the Ireland’s Women’s cricket team, Certa, has announced a two-year partnership with Cricket Ireland.
The two-year partnership comes at a very exciting time for women’s cricket in Ireland. It is only the second sport in Ireland to offer full-time professional playing contracts for women, while the senior squad is the 10th ranked team in the world rankings.
With over 130 clubs throughout Ireland, and in partnership with Certa, Cricket Ireland aims to develop women’s cricket as a major sport in the country, and to develop into a major nation in world cricket.
Certa, which is part of DCC plc, operates Ireland’s largest network of unmanned, pay@pump forecourts and home heating depots, including a Certa forecourt on the Ennis Road.
Team captain Laura Delany and star player Gaby Lewis will take on roles as Certa Brand Ambassadors, and will also support the company’s drive to connect people and businesses to the most progressive energy solutions available and to reduce their carbon footprint by switching to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a sustainable fuel.
The new partnership with Certa has been announced as the Ireland Women’s team prepares to compete against recently crowned T20 World Champions, Australia, who are set to visit Ireland for a three-match ODI series this July. The series will be preceded by a six-match tour to the Caribbean for a series against the West Indies and will be followed by a three-match tour to the Netherlands.
Managing Director of Certa Ireland, Andrew Graham, commented: “Certa is excited to get behind such a progressive sport and trailblazing team. These women are the rising stars of Irish sport, and they share our values of pushing new boundaries and challenging the status quo. Their achievements are an inspiration to people of all ages, and they deserve a bigger spotlight.
He added: “In little over one year, they have introduced full-time professional contracts in Ireland that have already raised their standard of competitiveness against the world’s best teams. Their culture of high performance and pursuit of excellence is shared by everyone at Certa, and we look forward to working together to move the dial on how the Ireland Women’s cricket team performs and advances through the world rankings.”
Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, Warren Deutrom, said: “This is a great step forward for women’s cricket in Ireland, and to take this step with a renowned Irish brand is genuinely exciting. Certa and Cricket Ireland will be working together to grow the profile, brand and engagement of women’s and girls’ cricket, from grassroots to elite level.”