(Cricket news) With a goal of being Ireland’s most forward-thinking energy firm, Certa, a new brand that is a part of DCC plc, operates in the fuel, home, business, and lubricants sectors. It runs the biggest network of unmanned, pay-at-pump forecourts and home heating depots in Ireland.
The two-year agreement comes at a particularly exciting time for women’s cricket in Ireland. Last year, Cricket Ireland became the country’s second sport to offer full-time professional playing contracts to women, and the senior squads’ impressive performances against the best teams in the world have already propelled them to the 10th spot in the world rankings.
The team will be given the tools they need by Certa to keep breaking down barriers and compete well with the best nations in women’s cricket. Additionally, it will encourage young athletes to pursue their dream of playing cricket professionally in Ireland and assist the sport grow from the grassroots to the elite level.
With 39 unmanned pay@pump forecourts and 22 home heating depots, Certa serves communities across Ireland. It will produce initiatives that make use of this network to increase interest in the Ireland Women’s Cricket team, foster a better understanding of the game, and highlight the sport’s up-and-coming stars.
Star player Gaby Lewis and team captain Laura Delany will serve as Certa Brand Ambassadors. They will support the business’s efforts to connect customers and clients with the most cutting-edge energy options available and to lessen their carbon footprint by using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a sustainable fuel.
2023 professional women’s playing contracts have been offered to 23 players. The announcement of the new relationship with Certa comes as the Ireland Women’s team gets ready to play the recently crowned T20 World Champions, Australia, who will be visiting Clontarf for a three-match ODI series in July.
With home backing, the Ireland Women’s team hopes to emulate its spectacular victory over Australia from a T20 World Cup warm-up match. A six-match journey to the Caribbean for a series against the West Indies will come before the series, while a three-match tour to the Netherlands will come after it.
Managing Director of Certa Ireland, Andrew Graham, stated “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.
“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.”
Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, Warren Deutrom, stated “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Certa as the new title sponsors of the Ireland Women’s cricket team. 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.
“The Ireland Women’s cricket team have demonstrated over the last couple of years that they are able to compete with the best teams in the world. The experience that this young squad is gaining is invaluable to their ongoing development and to the profile of cricket in Ireland. We are very much looking forward to the summer fixtures against Australia, the West Indies and the Netherlands. It continues to be an exciting time for Ed Joyce and his squad, and we wish them all the best in the exciting next couple of years with our new partners.”
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