Sligo Rovers pledge to refuse gambling sponsorships

Sligo Rovers have announced that they will not be accepting gambling sponsorships going forward.

In a statement, the club said that they have refused two significant offers from gambling companies in recent months.

“As a community-funded club, we believe it would be irresponsible to accept these proposals,” they said.

“Sponsorship is a critical aspect in the running of Sligo Rovers and turning down five-figure sponsorship offers is not a straightforward decision, particularly given the club is self-funded with no individual benefactor like many others in the League of Ireland.”

Last month fellow Premier Division side Drogheda United vowed that they would also avoid all gambling sponsorships to “try maintain values that improve the lives of supporters.”

Drogheda called on other clubs to follow their lead on the issue. Last year, the FAI also turned down a similar sponsorship offer, but said that they would let each club decide on sponsorship deals themselves.

The club held it’s AGM on Tuesday and added that the policy will include any pitch side advertisements from gambling companies.

Rovers raised €258,258 from fundraising efforts last year, in what Treasurer David Rowe called an “extraordinary figure.”

Rowe also confirmed that the club recorded a surplus of €199,000 in 2021, a figure that doesn’t include the transfer fees of John Mahon and Johnny Kenny, who moved to St. Johnstone and Celtic respectively.

“The ethos of our club is to be inclusive and open to welcome all ages and demographics,” they added.

“We feel that such advertising, directly aimed at our supporters and particularly to our young fans could have a detrimental outcome going forward. That is not in the spirit of the football club. ”

Sligo kick off their 2022 campaign at home to Bohemians on Saturday 19^th February.

If you need support for gambling issues go to problemgambling.ie