The Irish Football Association (IFA) has extended its partnership with Carlsberg for another three years, making the beer giant the “official beer partner” of Northern Ireland’s senior men’s and women’s teams . The deal includes beer sales rights at Windsor Park, with Carlsberg investing to ensure its brands “dominate the matchday experience”.
Carlsberg uses the emotional pull of national teams to normalize alcohol use, especially among young fans who see banners, logos, and promotions tied to their heroes on the pitch. By sponsoring both men’s and women’s football, Carlsberg extends its reach across demographics while hiding behind language about “passionate fans” and “community.”
The hypocrisy is stark. Northern Ireland faces serious alcohol harm — from hospital admissions to alcohol-related deaths — yet one of the world’s biggest brewers is embedding its brands in the heart of national sport. Sponsorship deals like this entrench brand loyalty early, shaping consumption patterns for years to come.
Promotion, or any marketing strategies, is Big Alcohol’s activity to drive alcohol availability and acceptability, to perpetuate the alcohol norm, and to place alcohol at the center of people’s thoughts and preferences, communities’ practices, and societies’ customs. The focus of this Dubious Five strategy is the people and their beliefs about alcohol products, the public and their attitudes about and behavior around alcohol products, and the consumers and how much, how often they buy and consume alcohol brands.
Source:
https://www.businesseye.co.uk/news/carlsberg-extends-partnership-with-irish-fa/