Tipp gaelic games star to be ‘splashed’ across milk cartons in new promotional campaign

Tipperary Ladies Football star Aishling Moloney will be a familiar sight at breakfast tables across Ireland as she has joined up with Lidl Ireland for a special campaign to encourage people to get behind females in sport.

Lidl Ireland have unveiled their new range of milk packaging that spotlights Ladies Gaelic Football players and encourages the public to ‘Get Behind the Fight’ by attending the TG4 All Ireland Championship Finals taking place on Sunday, 4th August in Croke Park.

The initiative comes after national research commissioned by Lidl revealed that 50% of Irish people think there is a lack of female sporting heroes and 41% believe knowing someone who is playing is an important factor in driving attendance at women’s sporting events.

When the public was asked to name a female Irish sports star, less than 1 in 10 people were able to name an Irish female sporting star unprompted.

Four star LGFA players have been selected to feature on the new packaging – Kerry’s Síofra O’Shea, Galway’s Nicola Ward, Cavan’s Ally Cahill and Tipperary’s Aisling Moloney – which features a player image, statistics and their club crest.

With more than 2 million weekly shoppers across the country and half a million units of milk sold each week, Lidl is utilising the packaging of four types of its bestselling fridge staple, produced by Irish supplier Aurivo in Sligo, as a platform to raise the profile of female players amongst its shoppers. Lidl has purposely selected milk as a key product to feature the campaign as it appears on millions of customers tables every morning. Four milk products will feature the players including Lidl’s bestselling Irish Whole Milk as well as the retailer’s Irish Light Milk, Irish Skimmed Milk as well as Irish Protein Milk due to its association with sports recovery in promoting rehydration and helping repair muscles, with 50g of protein packed into every 1L carton.

The milk cartons will be available in all 179 Lidl stores across the country from Monday 29 July in the run up to Championship finals day on Sunday 4 August.

Eimear O’Sullivan, Corporate Affairs Director at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, said, “Lidl is committed to levelling the playing field for women’s sport and growing attendances at Ladies Gaelic Football fixtures across the country, especially during this exciting Championship season.

“Our research shows that a lack of familiarity with female athletes is a significant barrier to people attending games. We have phenomenal female athletes competing in the LGFA Championships who deserve our recognition and support.

“Our milk packaging initiative is an exciting new innovation which complements the work we have been doing this year with the ‘Get Behind the Fight’ campaign as we seek to help the LGFA increase attendance at inter-county fixtures.

“We’ve intentionally selected our bestselling milk products as they’re a fridge staple in millions of households across the country, maximising the visibility of star female players in households every day.”

Síofra O’Shea, team captain for Kerry who made it to the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Final last year, said, “I’m delighted to be a part of this initiative with Lidl. Knowing the players on the pitch certainly goes a long way in driving support and increasing attendance at our games. Having fans in the stand makes such a difference when you are out on the pitch and can often give us the boost we need to deliver a win on the day.”

Alongside its innovative campaign to raise player profiles to connect the public with the stars on the pitch, Lidl is promising a family fun-filled day out for those attending Finals Day in Croke Park on Sunday 4 August. A special Lidl Fan Zone area, located on the Cusack Stand, will play host to an activity area, live music with competitions, games and giveaways suitable for all ages.

A family of four can attend the TG4 All-Ireland Championship Finals triple-header at Croke Park on Sunday 4th August for €70 by ordering direct with the LGFA. Special Group Offer available for 1 adult and 10 children under 18 for €60 (Adult ticket €10 / U18 ticket €5/ Student/OAP €15)

Attendees can also avail of the #LidlShootToSave discount offer which rewards Championship-goers with serious discounts at Lidl’s tills if spectators post video clips of the on-field action to TikTok or Instagram. Pledging an investment of €50,000 into shopper discounts, shoppers can earn up to €100 off their next shop through their Lidl Plus app by simply capturing live-game footage, tagging and following @LidlIreland on TikTok or Instagram and using #LidlShootToSave.

Tickets to attend 2024 TG4 LGFA Championship matches can be accessed via www.lidl.ie or via the LGFA website ladiesgaelic.ie