The Bank of Ireland is believed to be on the verge of reaching a new, long-term agreement with the GAA for the sponsorship of the All-Ireland football championship.

Whereas both sides say the deal has not yet been done, they agree negotiations are at an advanced stage. A spokesperson in Croke Park said: "Nothing has been signed yet but there is agreement in principle." A bank source commented: "I would echo the response from Croke Park; it's not concluded. It's going very well, but that's all both parties are committed to saying at the moment."

There will be considerable interest in the renewal of this sponsorship. It was the first to be put in place in respect of an All-Ireland championship when the current agreement was reached back in 1994 and, only last month, there was speculation - vigorously denied - that the bank was about to withdraw from the sponsorship.

"Discussions have gone very well and, after the last meeting, both parties came away very happy, which is far from the situation that we were supposed to be pulling out," according to a bank source.

Relations between the parties haven't always been harmonious, with the GAA believing that the bank should do a getter job promoting the sponsorship, and with the bank, conversely, feeling that it wasn't receiving enough support from Croke Park in maximising the benefits of their association.

The original agreement concludes at the end of next year's championship, and it is likely that any new agreement will also run for five years. According to a bank source: "If you look back on the history of our sponsorships, when we get involved we do so for the longer haul. It doesn't make sense to go in for small periods of time. Taking that into account, a fiveyear period is not unreasonable."

Whereas the financial details of the sponsorship are always kept close to the parties' chest, it is likely that the current price tag will be substantially increased. Estimates vary on the cost of the sponsorship, but it has been reported recently as being in the region of £700,000.

In addition to this basic cost, there is likely to be a requirement to commit a certain amount extra to advertising and promotional campaigns. After initial unfavourable comparisons between the bank's sponsorship and Guinness' clever promotion of the hurling championship, Bank of Ireland ran a far more extensive advertising campaign in 1997 - a development that was welcomed by both the GAA and the bank.

When the deal is finalised in the new year, it will complete a memorable 12 months on the sponsorship front for Croke Park. Last April, Guinness announced that they were extending their involvement with the hurling championship for a further three years, and, only two months ago, Eircell announced they would be sponsoring the All Stars awards scheme through the year 2000. Church and General have also renewed their sponsorship of the national leagues.