The Dublin senior footballers could yet provide some precedent regarding a potential boycott of interviews conducted in front of Allianz signage during the National Leagues.
However, there has been no collective discussion on the matter among the Dublin senior football or hurling panels ahead of this weekend’s opening round of games, with Dublin county board confirming there was never any planned group protest.
A series of motions passed at club and county conventions in recent months have called on the GAA to drop Allianz as sponsor of the National Leagues after a United Nations report on the conflict in Gaza, published last June, listed Allianz’s German parent company, through its subsidiary Pimco, among those holding Israeli government bonds.
A potential boycott of Allianz signage during player interviews was discussed by Dublin county board and the senior management teams but no player opinions were sought. Instead, it was decided all players could take their own decision on the matter.
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Speaking at an event hosted by Dublin GAA sponsors Staycity Aparthotels, Dublin footballer Greg McEneaney confirmed no panel discussion on the matter has taken place.
“No, it wasn’t discussed at all,” said McEneaney. “I was literally scrolling through Instagram, and the first I saw of it was by the Sunday Game, they posted it.
“We never spoke about it, never had any (meeting). But obviously, every individual, it’s up to himself. It’s his own opinion, he can do whatever he wants at the end of the day. For me, I don’t really have an opinion on it, I don’t know enough about it. I’ll just be there to play football on Saturday, I suppose.”
The Dublin footballers open their Division 1 campaign against Donegal at Croke Park on Saturday evening (throw-in 5pm).
Speaking at the same event, Dublin footballer Niamh Crowley confirmed she signed a petition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of the county’s opening league game in 2024 at which the Dublin team held up a sign calling for a ceasefire.
“We stood for what we believed in, made our statement, went on and played the match, and that was it,” said Crowley.
“Personally, I do think it’s important to raise awareness for what has gone on, and support those people, because at the end of the day, they are humans. It’s not right what’s happening. Again, it’s individual opinions ... if we want to collectively make a statement, that’s fine.”
It is understood new Dublin football manager Ger Brennan has already made his decision not to engage with any Allianz promotion around the National Leagues, including any pre- or post-match interviews in front of Allianz signage.
Croke Park offered no comment when asked if they anticipated any level of protest around the Allianz sponsorship.
Last month the GAA’s Management Committee accepted the recommendation of the Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) to retain its relations with Allianz. The insurance company has sponsored the GAA’s National Leagues since 1993, with the current deal in place to 2030. Allianz is also sponsor of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Camogie Association and Cumann na mBunscol.
Allianz will host a virtual launch of the 2026 leagues on Thursday morning, although no current players or managers will be involved in a break from recent tradition. Instead, the launch will focus on a Keep playing’ campaign involving former players.
It is unclear if any motion addressing the Allianz sponsorship will be debated at GAA Congress, set for Croke Park on the weekend of February 27th/28th.
